Source: Reason
by Joe Lancaster
“Betty Boop is one of the most iconic cartoons of the 20th century. A pinup drawn to look like a 1920s flapper, the character debuted nearly a century ago and quickly became a household name: In 1932, just two years after her debut, one newspaper article dubbed Betty Boop ‘without question … the most popular film personage on the screen today.’ Today, the character enters the public domain, meaning it’s free for anyone to use — but perhaps only as a dog. The bizarre saga illustrates what’s wrong with modern copyright law.” (01/01/26)
https://reason.com/2026/01/01/betty-boop-enters-the-public-domain-but-only-as-a-dog/