The character and plots of the original literary works by Ian Fleming become open for public use in most countries in 2035, raising the prospect of Bond starring in rival film and TV stories of espionage, comedy or horror.
Bond is one of a host of Hollywood heroes with looming or past copyright dates – including Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse – prompting an ideas arms race between those seeking to cash in on newly available global brands.
Since Sean Connery appeared in Dr No in 1962, the 25 films in the 007 franchise have grossed more than $7bn (£5.5bn) globally. Getting hold of the fifth most valuable franchise of all time was a central motivation for Amazon's $8.5bn purchase of the Hollywood studio MGM, which jointly owned the rights alongside Eon Productions, in 2021, the year the latest Bond film hit cinemas. Last week, Amazon shelled out a further $1bn-plus to wrest full control from Eon, in an effort to get 007 back on the big screen.
It will need to move fast before Bond potentially faces his stiffest competition yet – himself. Under UK and European law, copyright to literary creations expires 70 years after the author's death, at the start of the subsequent year. Given Fleming died in 1964, having penned 12 Bond novels and two anthologies, Amazon has a short window of exclusivity.
“There is a real opportunity for interested parties to make use of the fact that the rights in the James Bond books will soon lapse,” said Chris Froud, a patent attorney at the IP firm Withers and Rogers.
“Companies can take advantage of this by reworking plots and characters and commercialising them for a second time.”
この記事は The Guardian の March 01, 2025 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は The Guardian の March 01, 2025 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
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