Metaluna Mutant

[MonsterBaker666]

Yeah, it's the Steamboat Willie version that might expire in 2024.  Congress keeps changing the public domain laws, and they may...or may not...extend it.  I'm sure Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would like nothing more to let it expire since he's in a pissing match with Disney. 

But I think what would expire is the image of Mickey from that film and not the name.  So people might be able to reproduce the image, but not use the name with it.  And Disney keeps updating the Mickey look, so it's unlikely people will be making a bundle off a 100 year old cartoon mouse.

As to the Metaluna Mutant...Not really sure why it's not being pursued by Universal.  It's from one of their 1950s movies, and it was created by Universal employees specifically for the film, so who knows what's happened behind the scenes.  As I've said earlier, IF someone claimed they own the copyright on the look of the mutant, I'd think they'd want their name & copyright info on products with the Mutant on them. 

When Super 7 released their Universal Monsters line of action figures, I think the Mutant had the Universal copyright listed on it.  But their recent Glow In The Dark release did not have any Universal copyright.

Weird.   

[Tom_Hering]

No mention at all about this being from the film This Island Earth ...

The instruction sheet includes a "This Island Earth" name plate that you cut out and paste to the clapboard on the base.

[MonsterBaker666]

Yeah, I just spotted that.  Wonder if Universal knows about that.