Amusing Menu Item or Copyright Infringement?

[PatchOBlack]

For Father's Day, my family went out to Mimi's Cafe for lunch. While we were there, my brother noticed a breakfast item on the kid's menu: pancakes in a rather familiar shape. These were called "Mimi Mouse Pancakes", and can be seen at http://www.mimiscafe.com/MenuKids.aspx. We chuckled about this, and how we could just see someone getting a little phone call from the Disney Legal Team.... :cat1:

[darph nader]

I'll make the g-kids 'mouse' pancakes from time to time,big deal.

[DisneyMom]

Hmmmm....I wonder if the Mickey Icon shape originated with the licensed character, or if the shape pre-existed?

Maybe there are some ancient petroglyphs with that shape! ;)

[Mr. M]

I see nothing wrong. they are not calling them Mickey, or Minnie. They are not claiming to be a part of Disney. I think Disney is smart enough to not care.

[Goofyernmost]

I see nothing wrong. they are not calling them Mickey, or Minnie. They are not claiming to be a part of Disney. I think Disney is smart enough to not care.

Oh, think again...I know a local day care that had a wall mural with a Mickey Mouse in it and they received a letter from Disney saying get rid of it or get sued.

I have no idea how they even found out about it.

[hobie16]

Oh, think again...I know a local day care that had a wall mural with a Mickey Mouse in it and they received a letter from Disney saying get rid of it or get sued.

I have no idea how they even found out about it.

Mickey, like Elvis, is everywhere.

[Mr. M]

Oh, think again...I know a local day care that had a wall mural with a Mickey Mouse in it and they received a letter from Disney saying get rid of it or get sued.

I have no idea how they even found out about it.

Yeah Yeah everyone talks about the daycare wall. Disney messed up BIG on that one. I think Disney wised up after that and pulled the pixie dust out of their butts.



BTW The daycare painted over the wall, WB cam in a painted baby Bugs Bunny and friends for free.

[Main Streeter]

Mickey, like Elvis, is everywhere.

:hysteria: Always love hobie one liners!

[Lasolimu]

At my local amusement park this year, they spent a lot of money updating and fixing things around the park. Well, one day we rode a haunted house ride and, wouldn't you know it, there was a line that sounded very familiar. It was the line Barbossa used to taunt Ms. Swann in the first Pirates movie the first night she is on the Black Pearl, "You best start believing in ghost stories, you're in one." I probably wouldn't even have noticed, but it sounded like it was ripped straight from the movie with the Ms. Turner bit edited out.

[PatchOBlack]

I'll make the g-kids 'mouse' pancakes from time to time,big deal.

There is a big difference between making "mouse" pancakes at home for the kids, and putting them on the menu of a chain of restaurants.

I see nothing wrong. they are not calling them Mickey, or Minnie. They are not claiming to be a part of Disney. I think Disney is smart enough to not care.

Consider this: Copyright infringement isn't limited to exact carbon copies. It also covers when another person makes a product so similar that it can lead to brand confusion. The look of these pancakes, as well as the name of the item ("Mimi Mouse Pancakes"), seems to be more than a little inspired by the famous Mickey Mouse Pancakes. If Disney has the rights to the iconic silhouette of Mickey's head, that would likely strengthen their case. As to Disney not caring, well, it may be small potatoes, but copyright law demands that the holder of a copyright actively protects his rights, or else he could lose them.