紐時賞析／米奇版權奇遇記：迪士尼早期創作將成公共財

Mickey’s Copyright Adventure: Early Disney Creation Will Soon Be Public Property

米奇版權奇遇記：迪士尼早期創作將成公共財

For the first time, one of The Walt Disney Co.’s marquee characters — Mickey himself — is set to enter the public domain. “Steamboat Willie,” the 1928 short film that introduced Mickey to the world, will lose copyright protection in the United States and a few other countries at the end of this year, prompting fans, copyright experts and potential Mickey grabbers to wonder: How is the notoriously litigious Disney going to respond?

迪士尼公司招牌卡通人物之一米老鼠米奇，將首度納入「公眾領域」。1928年上映、將米奇介紹給世人的短篇電影「汽船威利號」，將於今年底在美國和其他一些國家失去版權保護，這使粉絲們、著作權專家與有意掠奪米奇的人納悶，出名愛打官司的迪士尼如何反應？

The matter is more complicated than it appears, and those who try to capitalize on the expiring “Steamboat Willie” copyright could easily end up in a legal mousetrap.

此事遠比表面複雜。那些試圖藉由汽船威利號版權到期牟利者，恐輕易落入一個法律的捕鼠器。

Only one copyright is expiring. It covers the original version of Mickey Mouse as seen in “Steamboat Willie,” an eight-minute short with little plot. This nonspeaking Mickey has a ratlike nose, rudimentary eyes (no pupils) and a long tail.

僅一個版權將到期，涉及片長不到8分鐘、幾乎沒有劇情的汽船威利號中原始版米老鼠。片中未開金口的米奇有個像老鼠的鼻子、發育不全的雙眼（沒有瞳孔）及一條長尾巴。

Later versions of the character remain protected by copyrights, including the sweeter, rounder Mickey with red shorts and white gloves most familiar to audiences today. They will enter the public domain at different points over the coming decades.

米奇這個人物此後的版本依然受版權保護，包括現在最為觀眾熟知，穿紅色短褲、戴一雙白色手套、更討人喜歡與更圓潤的米奇。在今後幾十年間，這些版本會在不同時候納入公眾領域。

“Disney has regularly modernized the character, not necessarily as a program of copyright management, at least initially, but to keep up with the times,” said Jane C. Ginsburg, an authority on intellectual property law who teaches at Columbia University.

在美國哥倫比亞大學執教的智慧財產權法權威金斯柏格表示，「迪士尼已定期優化米奇這個角色，未必是出於它的著作權管理方案，至少一開始是如此，而是旨在與時俱進」。

The expiration of the “Steamboat Willie” copyright means that the black-and-white short can be shown without Disney’s permission and even resold by third parties. (There may not be much sales value left, however. Disney posted it for free on YouTube years ago.) It also means that anyone can make use of the film and the original Mickey to further expression — to create new stories and artwork.

汽船威利號版權到期，意味這部黑白短片可在不經迪士尼同意下播映，甚至由第三方轉售。（然而，可能沒剩多少銷售價值，迪士尼幾年前就免費貼在影音分享平台YouTube上。）這也代表，任何人都能運用這部影片及原始版米奇去延伸表達，創作新的故事和作品。

Of course, it does get tricky: Disney also holds trademarks on its characters, including the “Steamboat Willie” version of Mickey Mouse, and trademarks never expire as long as companies keep submitting the proper paperwork. A copyright covers a specific creation (unauthorized copying), but trademarks are designed to protect against consumer confusion — to provide consumers assurance about the source and quality of a creation.

當然，此事的確變得微妙：迪士尼亦握有旗下各人物的商標，包含汽船威利號版的米老鼠。只要該公司持續提交適當文件，這些商標就永遠不會到期。一個版權涉及一個獨特的創作（未經授權的複製），但商標旨在保護消費者避免混淆誤認，提供消費者有關一項創作的來源與品質保證。

Boiled down, any public domain use of the original Mickey cannot be perceived as coming from Disney, Ginsburg explained. This protection is strong, she added, because the character, even in his early form, has such close association with the company.

金斯柏格解釋，簡言之，任何對公眾領域內原始版米奇的使用，不能被視為來自迪士尼。她補充說，由於米奇這個人物，甚至在他早期，都跟該公司有著如此密切的結合，因此對米奇的智財權提供強力保護。

文／Brooks Barnes　譯／茅毅