iFeudalism and Disney
Disney was founded in 1923, and has grown to be the second largest broadcasting company in the world, pulling in a gross revenue of over 40 million US dollars in 2013. If any company in the world can show you how iFeudalism works, its Disney. The brutal reality is that sometimes the happiest place in the world isn’t all that happy. As Ted said, four of the key terms of this feudalism is as follows:
– You cannot leave the land without permission.
– You cannot sell the land without permission.
– Your feudal lord decides how you use the land.
– You must pay rent to your feudal lord for using the land.
Disney made it’s fortune off making animated movies. These movies were a lot of the time based on fairytales or Brother Grimms stories, and they were able to take these and adapt them, because those stories and characters were in the public domain. Disney made the character Mickey Mouse, who is arguably one of the most wellknown animated characters in the world. So well known that Disney attempted to block copyright of a mouse helmet worn by musician Deadmau5, as the similarities are too much.
So why is it that a company that made so much money off, as Lessig words it, “ripping creativity from the culture around him”, attempts to block other people from doing the same? Short answer – copyright.
In 1998, the US passed a law to extend copyright to the life of the author, plus 70 years. This law is sometimes mockingly referred to as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act. The Walt Disney company were vocal supporters of this act, ensuring other people cannot use any original characters belonging to Disney for a longer period of time. Since the invention of copyright, length of copyright laws have only ever increased.
Lessig states:
Free cultures are cultures that leave a great deal open for others to build upon; unfree, or permission, cultures leave much less. Ours was a free culture. It is becoming much less so.
When a company that made their money off “borrowing” other’s characters lobbies so that no one can “borrow” theirs, what kind of a creative, free society do we live in? More and more we find capitalism trumping creativity, and greed trumping goodwill
Britt Andrews 
September 8, 2014 at 7:26 am
I really enjoyed your post. Especially the fact that you chose to incorporate the disney reading, i was hoping somebody would post on that! Your point on the restriction of freedom is interesting and same with Disney’s vocal agreement to extend copyright laws – i was not before aware of this. Your closing point was very intriguing and pressed an interesting argument, and your use of hyperlinks was very well done.
September 8, 2014 at 10:13 am
Great post!
Disney is a great example of iFeudalism! In their defence though the majority of ‘creative content’ has been borrowed from somewhere else or from someone else. Taking the recent example of Frozen, it seems that Disney has started to relax its copyright— http://www.salon.com/2014/05/23/how_disney_learned_to_stop_worrying_and_love_copyright_infringement/
September 9, 2014 at 12:52 am
Disney is a really interesting example. They also make a ton of money buying properties like Marvel Comics and Lucasfilms. Just think of how much money they are going to make from star wars 7. They really are ripping the creativity from the culture around them and stockpiling it.
September 9, 2014 at 1:31 am
It was enlightening they way you opened your blog post with the four key terms of feudalism Ted mentioned in the lecture this week. I also used the example of Disney in my post but I did not talk about Disney attempting to block copyright of a mouse helmet worn by musician Deadmau5. This was an effective examples as it shows how one company can have mass control. The image you chose to support the idea that Disney has no right to demand this control was perfect. It clearly showed the mass domination Disney now has. I found this article https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110303/02364013337/is-internet-enabling-bad-content-killing-bad-content.shtml when researching for my own blog this week and you might want to take a look at it as it works well with your argument. Great blog, thanks for the read.
September 9, 2014 at 3:04 am
Hi there, I liked your take on this week’s topic! You provided a well researched argument for Disney’s role in iFeudalism. I would suggest you provide a context when you mention your sources (e.g.’Ted’) for the readers unfamiliar with the digc202 course. Hyperlinking your sources and providing visual aids gave your post a solid structure.
September 9, 2014 at 5:38 am
Well written, I was not aware of the legal dispute between Disney and Deadmau5 which appears a rather extreme reaction from Disney. Its ironic that a company like Disney fought so hard to protect their own rights, but yet is so flippant when it comes to others. We are very subservient to these various corporations who control the fabric of our society.We pledge our allegiance to these feudal companies who in turn represent to protect us. The greater the rhetoric of protecting copyrights the stronger these institutions such as Disney become. In Mandeville-Anthony v. The Walt Disney Company Pixar and Walt Disney were accused of stealing and ripping off the ideas of Jake Mandeville-Anthony’s copyrighted works. Disney realized Cars and Cars 2, which where hugely successful films and Anthony received nothing for his ideas. In addition Independent animator Kelly Wilson sued Walt Disney Company and affiliates on grounds of copyright infringement in the United States Federal Court for allegedly plagiarizing “original elements” of her snowman character in the “Frozen” movie and trailers. Ironically a media empire which was built from ideas sourced from others artists, is violently protective over its own.
September 9, 2014 at 10:25 am
I was not aware of the Disney vs. Deadmau5 case but I it’s quite ironic, Disney was determined to stop others copying their copies. I liked your point about “capitalism trumping creativity”. While these large corporations can sue anyone that tries to use their work, smaller artists may not have the money or power to stop the same happening to them. I found this article http://www.dailydot.com/fandom/anita-sarkeesian-fanart-plagiarism-theft/ you might be interested in, which looks at the issue of fan art and copyright. This was a really good post, you’ve definitely helped me understand iFeudalism!
September 9, 2014 at 10:51 am
Really well written, its always interesting to hear about Disney’s copyright disputes as stated in the comment above, Disney defends their rights 24/7 whereas they are more relaxed when it comes to others. Also love the grid of how much the copyright law has increased over the years. The more and more technology increases the more stricter the copyright law will become. I think there is a difference between ‘stealing’ and ‘using’ someone else’s work, as long as you are referencing the original artist or author etc that is totally fine. It is actually a copyright infringement if you sing ‘Happy Birthday’ out in public. Crazy, hey? Anyway, great post! It flowed really well and you stayed on track the whole way. Keep it up 🙂
September 9, 2014 at 11:56 am
Hey,
Very interesting read. I like how you focused in on the one issue of Disney and how it is traced historically. The exmaple of the Deadmau5 case was a good illustration of the legalities surrounding this issue. I feel you were just starting to scratch teh surface and could have gone a bit more in depth. But it was a well constructed brief glimpse of the copyright laws concerning Disney. nice one!
September 9, 2014 at 12:51 pm
This is a great post and I like the example of Disney, particularly its power to change US law. The focus on one of the big four media conglomerates was a great idea and refreshing to read. Copyright laws are constantly changing as a response by media conglomerates to impede the eventual public access to their works. I find it interesting that a corporation that has entertained and made billions out of feudal tales about Kings and Princesses, embodies a feudalist structure and values. I think there may be a typo in reference to their annual revenue, 40 billion instead of million. Great use of images and resources, well done.
September 10, 2014 at 6:00 am
It’s great to see that you’ve incorporated the 4 keys of feudalism and how you’ve used Disney as an example as it is one brand which all of of us can easily resonate with. But then again, Disney’s copyright infringement issues are as complex as they can be. This is because Disney is a well-established production conglomerate with immense resources ($$$) that helps in lobbying for its interests.
September 16, 2014 at 5:04 am
This was a great post and helped me to understand more about feudalism and how Disney was used as part of this. The 4 key concepts of feudalism were put nicely in your post, and I like the example you put with Deadmau5, these 4 concepts do apply to this case, as Disney does not want anyone to copyright “Mickey Mouse” even the slightest because that animated character was the money maker for the company. One of the reasons for Disney’s success. Disney really are continuing to increase the length of copyright laws and to the extent that I don’t think any other company will ever be able to use any of the Disney characters for the foreseeable future.
October 20, 2014 at 3:59 am
Your post can be used as an example for many other copyright issues involving the impingement on a free, shared culture. The whole debate over the use of Mickey Mouses’ image reminds me so much of Apple’s childish whinge when Samsung revamped the idea of a smartphone. It’s a debate that is incredibly contradictory and hypocritical on Apple’s part considering they took the idea for a computer with a graphical interface and reshaped it into the first home computer named the Lisa and the Macintosh. An idea that was not original yet they took it and revamped it into something innovative, this is a process Disney and Apple prevents on their own products yet its a concept totally acceptable when its for their own achievable outcomes.
It’s frustrating but your argument is an example worth noting when debating iFeudalism and cultural expression. Good job 🙂
October 23, 2014 at 12:22 am
great post and great way of using disney as your example to further explain about ifeudalism. I like how you used the case of deadmau5 and the copyright laws and act that Disney had placed to cover all their creations. I wasn’t aware that Disney were vocal supporters of the extend copyright laws and it’s interesting to see the lengths that such large corporations go to in ensuring that no one can “borrow” from them.
October 24, 2014 at 4:59 am
Well written and interestingly put to explain the certain issues of copyright through the example of Disney, whom we are all to familiar. As you mentioned we all know about it through our childhood memories where these movies bought about happiness and entertainment. I’m stumped to call it genius or not by Disney placing these copyright laws and therefore they are able to produce billions in the industry…. so maybe yes to being genius. But definitely unfair in certain situations such as the Deadmau5 case which i had heard about already and when i did actually had a laugh and thought to myself is it really necessary Disney? But i guess thats iFeudalism in it, hey.
October 27, 2014 at 9:30 am
Good example of Disney, I hadn’t really thought of it as a typical media stack until your post but it most certainly is! I think I was just thinking of Disney films rather that the multi-million dollar media empire that it has become. Their copyright laws kind of make them sound evil and greedy. Why stem the creativity of others when, as you said in your post, the company has borrowed so many ideas from other stories!
November 21, 2016 at 6:00 pm
Before I read you post, I have no idea that Disney is a very good example related with ifeudalism. The exmaple of the Deadmau5 case is really good. I think if you talk a more deep will be better in your post. Still a nice post for overall.