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With Steamboat Willie now being in the public domain, no doubt we're about to see a lot more of it. One of the first is Victorian Clambake's game The Caribbean Sail which added Steamboat Willie as a playable character. So what actually is The Caribbean Sail? You can read a little more from when contributor BTRE took a look back in 2018.

"Have you ever wanted to be a cartoon mouse pirate? Then have I got news for YOU! After 95 years since first stepping onto the world stage, Steamboat Willie is now a playable character in the Caribbean Sail!"

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What was added in the update:

  • New occupation: Steamboat Willie.
  • Unique ring smoke puffs for Steamships when playing as Steamboat Willie.
  • New shanty when playing as Steamboat Willie.
  • New artworks for plank walking, dying, hanging, and flogging.
  • A new little Blacksword Easter Egg.
  • Governor starts with £5,000.
  • Particle effects.

The Caribbean Sail has Native Linux support but currently no Steam Deck rating. See more on the update in the announcement.

You can buy it from:

Humble Store

Steam

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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15 comments
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dpanter Jan 5
Nice!

Spoiler, click me
drjoms Jan 5
I would bet a tenner, that copyright law is about to be extended.
https://youtu.be/UHBOp7AUkc0?t=108
pb Jan 5
Quoting: drjomsI would bet a tenner, that copyright law is about to be extended.

Not possible, it's already in the public domain.
Hell yeah.
Reyold Jan 5
It's also on Itch.io for those interested.
In your face, Three-Circle Empire!

(That said, these days I think they use the mouse almost entirely as a trademark, which is still totally intact. But still)


Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 5 January 2024 at 3:57 pm UTC
Quoting: Purple Library GuyIn your face, Three-Circle Empire!

(That said, these days I think they use the mouse almost entirely as a trademark, which is still totally intact. But still)
They do, but it doesn't impact usage of the public domain character as much as popular opinion might have led you to believe. Center for the Study of the Public Domain has a great write-up on Steamboat Willie, Mickey Mouse, the copyrights and the trademarks and what you can do with him: https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/mickey/

Fair warning that this is only interesting to a vanishingly small audience.
It's funny how the workers at Disney World were calling it Mousewitz, then asshole management caught on and pitched a bitch. So they then started calling it Duckhau instead. Considering who Walt Disney actually was, it's fitting.

I also love how the US enforces its copyright laws with an iron fist with shit here, but then when another country files a legit complaint about a US or US-backed company breaking said copyright laws, they do as little as possible or nothing at all. I'm looking at you Bacardi, you crooks.
F.Ultra Jan 5
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Quoting: Purple Library GuyIn your face, Three-Circle Empire!

(That said, these days I think they use the mouse almost entirely as a trademark, which is still totally intact. But still)

From what I've heard they have now bought up so many companies and franchises that their cartoon side is now a fraction of their income and that is why they didn't fought to extent copyright this time, basically Micky is worthless to them. As a fun side note Mickey was never big over here and instead Donald was the big Disney character (and we have a Donald special on Christmas Eve every year).
Pengling Jan 6
This is the first interesting use of the now-public-domain character that I've seen so far*. The actual first ones I saw were relatively lazy "cartoons turned twisted" horror efforts, as seems to be the norm these days.

*I honestly didn't expect to ever be saying that, having been around to see how they got yet another copyright extension 20 years ago. It's also kind of freaky how that feels like it's passed in the blink of an eye!

Incidentally, I hope that this momentous event will draw further attention to the fact that the 1933 Mickey short, The Mad Doctor, was already in the public domain due to them burying it after an outcry at it being too scary (it spoofed the horror films of the era quite well) and thus having forgotten to renew the copyright when they had the chance. It's my favourite of the ancient Mickey shorts (and it still holds up great because it's fantastical and isn't representing a world that no longer exists), and I'm a big fan of mad-scientists as a villain archetype, so I'd love to see something good done with this one, too.

Quoting: pleasereadthemanualThey do, but it doesn't impact usage of the public domain character as much as popular opinion might have led you to believe. Center for the Study of the Public Domain has a great write-up on Steamboat Willie, Mickey Mouse, the copyrights and the trademarks and what you can do with him: https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/mickey/

Fair warning that this is only interesting to a vanishingly small audience.
I am part of that vanishingly-small audience, so thanks for this! Will get stuck into reading it soon.

Quoting: F.UltraAs a fun side note Mickey was never big over here and instead Donald was the big Disney character (and we have a Donald special on Christmas Eve every year).
I was always fond of the expanded Disney Duck universe, myself. But, I'll mark myself out as an 80s/90s kid here by noting that Darkwing Duck was and still is my absolute favourite of those.


Last edited by Pengling on 6 January 2024 at 4:00 am UTC
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