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Licence to kill: could a James Bond horror emerge when book copyrights expire?
Character and plots of Ian Fleming’s original literary works become open for public use in most countries in 2035
Bond is one of a host of Hollywood heroes with looming or past copyright dates – including Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse – prompting an ideas arms race between those looking to cash in on newly available global brands and rights holders creating spin-off intellectual property that remains protected. When the Disney-controlled rights to AA Milne’s much-loved Winnie the Pooh entered the public domain on 1 January 2022, the Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds appeared a day later in a US parody ad featuring “Winnie-the-Screwed” – a bear who finds he has been overpaying for his phone bill. The slate of releases and upcoming films includes two Blood and Honey sequels, Peter Pan’s Neverland Nightmare, Bambi: The Reckoning and Pinocchio: Unstrung, and will culminate with an Avengers-style ensemble called Poohniverse: Monsters Assemble, coming out next year.
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