Does anyone know history of the different Disney copyrights?

[disneysteve]

I wasn't sure where to post this. I know that Disney has changed what they use as their copyright various times over the years. Does anyone have a source that lists the timeline for when each was used? At the moment, I'm specifically trying to find when "The Walt Disney Company" was used. I'm thinking late 70s, early 80s, but I'm not sure. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[jcb]

Names and titles can't be copyrighted. You might try a trademark search at the patent and trademark office. www.uspto.gov. It should show the first use.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

OP, are you really asking about trademarks?

 

[disneysteve]

OP, are you really asking about trademarks?

No. I'm asking about copyrights. There has been a series of copyrights that the company has used over time dating back to the beginning in the late 1920s and 1930s. I believe they currently simply use ©Disney but at other times they've used ©Walt Disney Productions or ©The Walt Disney Company or something else. Knowing when each was in use can help narrow down the age of an item. I'm trying to find out when it was ©The Walt Disney Company.

 

[mytripsandraces]

I think he's asking about the copyright claimant. Have you tried searching the Copyright Office Database? I think you can search by claimant.

 

[RogueKnits]

My inclination is that they use different holding companies for different types of properties (films, songs, artwork, websites, properties related to the parks, etc.). I'm not sure you would find a clear delineation by year. You can search the US Copyright Office by claimant name (use the advanced search). If you just put in "Disney" you'll get over 10,000 hits (which is the maximum the system will display) just since 1978.

 

[RogueKnits]

FYI, from my cursory search, it looks like The Walt Disney Company was in use as a copyright claimant since at least 1958 up to about 1994. The last hit I get with that exact name is in 2011, but the claimant is listed as "Disney Enterprises, Inc. fka The Walt Disney Company fka Walt Disney Productions".

 

[disneysteve]

My inclination is that they use different holding companies for different types of properties (films, songs, artwork, websites, properties related to the parks, etc.). I'm not sure you would find a clear delineation by year.

FYI, from my cursory search, it looks like The Walt Disney Company was in use as a copyright claimant since at least 1958 up to about 1994. The last hit I get with that exact name is in 2011

Regarding types of properties, I'm specifically referring to merchandise. Thanks for doing the search. Unfortunately that didn't answer my question. I'm positive they were not using ©The Walt Disney Company as far back as the 1950s. During most of the 70s, for example, they used ©Walt Disney Productions. I'm also sure they weren't still using it in 2011. By then they had switched to ©Disney. I know that somewhere there is a timeline list of when each copyright was in use. I'll keep searching. I may have it in one of my old collectible guidebooks.