I've been doing research on the children's party entertainment industry, and I've been surprised just how many professional entertainers impersonate copyrighted characters, such as the Disney Princesses(which includes Ariel, of course, so this is a mermaiding issue!), and wondering how they manage to not got shut down by Disney's and other corporation's copyright lawyers. Some try to step around copyrights by having disclaimers on their websites explaining that their characters are generic and that they don't represent any corporation, calling them euphemistic names like "The Tower Princess"(Rapunzel), "The Glass Slipper Princess"(Cinderella), and of course "Mermaid Princess"(Ariel), and making sure there are at least slight differences in their costumes from the official costumed characters', but still, it's very obvious who they're supposed to represent, and knowing how strict Disney can be with their intellectual property rights, I can't for the life of me understand why they haven't "released the hounds" on some of these companies. Now, just to clarify, I've always had issues with Disney's strict stance on copyright protection, as I fail to see the harm painting Mickey and Minnie on the walls of daycare centers does, and it makes then look like hypocrites every time they're accused of copying someone else's idea(like the whole thing with Kimba the White Lion vs. The Lion King, etc.), so I am not personally advocated for these Princess Party companies to be shut down, I'm just curious if there's anyone here who can shine some light on this issue and explain, if you ever perform as Ariel or any other licensed character, how you get around copyrights, and what is and isn't legal.
Oh, a question for all pro mermaids, how often do you get requests to appear as Ariel or any other licensed character, and do you do it?
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