Betty boop and the return of aesthetic functionality: A bitter medicine against 'Mutant Copyrights'?

Author

Irene CALBOLI, Singapore Management UniversityFollow

Publication Type

Journal Article

Version

submittedVersion

Publication Date

1-2014

Abstract

This article offers a brief overview of the history and developments of the doctrine of aesthetic functionality in the United States and examines the recent decisions in Fleischer Studios, Inc v AVELA, Inc. In particular, the article argues that the courts in Fleischer added an important element to the interpretation of the doctrine, namely the fact that the courts seemed willing to resort to aesthetic functionality to counter the consequences resulting from the practice of using trade mark protection as an additional form of protection for copyrighted, or once copyrighted, creative works.

Keywords

trademarks, functionality, copyrights, mutant rights

Discipline

Intellectual Property Law

Publication

European Intellectual Property Review

Volume

36

Issue

2

First Page

80

Last Page

87

ISSN

0142-0461

Publisher

Sweet and Maxwell

Citation

CALBOLI, Irene. Betty boop and the return of aesthetic functionality: A bitter medicine against 'Mutant Copyrights'?. (2014). European Intellectual Property Review. 36, (2), 80-87.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/2312

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.