What's Mickey Afraid of?

The Walt Disney Company may go after a library in Flint, MI, alleging its mascot looks too much like Mickey Mouse. Disney had until the end of July to file a formal objection against the Genesee District Library's Book Mouse, a blue, large-eared rodent wearing wire-rimmed glasses and a backpack. (As of press time, no complaint had been filed.) The mascot is a marketing tool to promote literacy, and the library submitted a trademark registry request to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in August 2001, says Trent Smiley, the library's marketing specialist.

Disney received a 90-day extension in April to consider challenging the Book Mouse trademark.

"I can't imagine it's deceptively similar to any Disney character we're aware of," library attorney Patric Parker told the Flint Journal . He believes Book Mouse poses no threat to Disney. "I don't think we cut into their movie profits last year," he adds. Smiley says Disney may not understand how the mascot is being used, based on the information contained in the registry application. Book Mouse is featured at schools and parades, as well as on children's library cards. Copyright violations often confuse librarians and other educators who sometimes use materials based on other characters and images.