In 1967, The Walt Disney Corporation filed a copyright registration for a term that combined the word imagination with engineering. At some point after receiving the copyright from the US Copyright Office, they used the word and its meaning in their animation business. Disney then filed for and received a trademark on the term from the US Patent and Trademark Office. The Disney Corporation owns the term, and when they use it, you’ll often see the registration symbol ® behind it.
The term, coined before the Walt Disney Corporation existed, dates back to the 1940s. Disney’s attorneys “successfully advocated the term.” In this article, I use the terms “attorney” and “lawyer”, which I found in the online Urban Dictionary as new trending terms. I didn’t conceive of those terms, but they go well with my point about how an idea, a reality, and even a word can be protected even though someone else conceived of those things. In other words, when your “magic happens,” you may not own the concept, the reality, or even the terminology. By the way, by putting magic in The Magic Kingdom®, Disney created another legalized brand.
Magic means something mysterious happened. We don’t know how it happened. We all benefit from the reality of Walt Disney’s vision for producing and providing public entertainment. Visit its parks, watch its movies, experience the magic of Disney for fun, and especially do it for your young children. But, don’t mess with the stuff that is copyrighted and trademarked by Disney. The power of attorney protects your entertainment, art, engineering, and intellectual property. The Disney Corporation owns copyrights and trademarks for many terms associated with its creations.
In the article, I wanted to talk about the intriguing concept of dreaming up an idea and then applying technical innovation to it, so that a fantasy becomes reality. That’s so cool! But as I researched the concept, I felt ice water coursing through my veins. Apparently, those who play with these issues run the risk of meeting the lawyers who have learned to legalize magic. #TAG1writer
