Fyi, be careful about which version of Winnie the Pooh you use. While I doubt the Stephan Slesinger Inc or Disney will come after you for the patch, my understanding is that the “red shirt” Pooh is still under copyright because the red shirt was a later addition (which won’t be public domain until 2028), and the Disney version of Pooh won’t be public domain for a long time since it wasn’t created until the 1960s.
It’s kinda like how Steamboat Willy’s Mickey design is public domain, but the most iconic version (the one with white gloves, red pants and yellow shoes) is still under copyright. That said, be careful about using Steamboat Willy’s Mickey in branding because Disney still claims trademark on it.
As an interesting tanget about Mickey, apparently there’s been a fair number of legal arguments that later versions of Mickey are not under copyright because of a couple instances where Disney failed to renew or properly claim copyright ownership during the time when copyright was not automatic and had to be regularly renewed to retain ownership. However, unsurprisingly, the US courts have routinely sided with Disney when challenged.
Fyi, be careful about which version of Winnie the Pooh you use. While I doubt the Stephan Slesinger Inc or Disney will come after you for the patch, my understanding is that the “red shirt” Pooh is still under copyright because the red shirt was a later addition (which won’t be public domain until 2028), and the Disney version of Pooh won’t be public domain for a long time since it wasn’t created until the 1960s.
It’s kinda like how Steamboat Willy’s Mickey design is public domain, but the most iconic version (the one with white gloves, red pants and yellow shoes) is still under copyright. That said, be careful about using Steamboat Willy’s Mickey in branding because Disney still claims trademark on it.
As an interesting tanget about Mickey, apparently there’s been a fair number of legal arguments that later versions of Mickey are not under copyright because of a couple instances where Disney failed to renew or properly claim copyright ownership during the time when copyright was not automatic and had to be regularly renewed to retain ownership. However, unsurprisingly, the US courts have routinely sided with Disney when challenged.