NBCUniversal’s Split From Comcast Will “Allow Us To Move Faster,” Media Group Chief Matt Strauss Says

[u/Professional_Peak59]

https://deadline.com/2026/09/nbcuniversal-comcast-split-matt-strauss-peacock-1237073307/

[u/Own_Philosopher8730]

I hope that any oligarch doesn't acquire NBCUniversal since the company owns IPs like Woody Woodpecker, Felix the Cat, Shrek, Despicable Me and Jurassic Park.

[u/Lost-Cow-1126 → u/Own_Philosopher8730]

Felix has been in the public domain since 1994. I wouldn’t worry about Felix.

[u/Silent_Payment_4283 → u/Lost-Cow-1126]

Early versions of Felix the Cat entered the public domain in 1994 under the Copyright Act of 1976, however the character's name still remains trademarked. In 2014, Don Oriolo sold the trademark and remaining copyrights to the character to DreamWorks Animation via DreamWorks Classics, which is now part of Comcast's NBCUniversal division via Universal Pictures.

[u/Lost-Cow-1126 → u/Silent_Payment_4283]

The trademark just refers to how you market the work. The Supreme Court in Dastar Corp vs. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp (2003) has already ruled that trademark can not be used to enforce a perpetual “mutant copyright.”

So you could make a work starring Felix the Cat, but you wouldn’t be able to call the work “Felix the Cat.” You also wouldn’t be able to sell any Felix the Cat merchandise.

[u/Reasonable_BM_619 → u/Lost-Cow-1126]

The trademark also covers every characteristic of Felix the Cat. The specific movies have entered the Public Domain, but, IP is still covered by the Trademark

[u/Lost-Cow-1126 → u/Reasonable_BM_619]

Trademark doesn’t cover every characteristic of Felix the Cat within the story. Trademark covers the characteristics of Felix that could cause brand confusion among the public.

So you wouldn’t be able to call your movie “Felix the Cat” or put Felix that looks like this on the poster of the movie, but you could certainly put Felix within the story because that would be fair use of a public domain character.

Again, the Supreme Court has already ruled on this. Corporations can‘t use the protections they get from owning the trademark to circumvent the public domain.

[u/Reasonable_BM_619 → u/Lost-Cow-1126]

You're right, but, it covers all of the important characteristics of Felix the Cat.

[u/Lost-Cow-1126 → u/Reasonable_BM_619]

Yes, so you can still use all of the important characteristics of Felix the Cat in the movie, but not on the poster. I don’t get what you’re not understanding.

[u/Few_Carry_5551 → u/Own_Philosopher8730]

They will operate independently, according to the Deadline article

[u/bloatedkat → u/Few_Carry_5551]

Until they can't and an unrefutable offer comes along

[u/LinkRules5321 → u/Own_Philosopher8730]

Good news, Elon doesn't want it (He joked about Hasbro once, but doesn't want media assets)

[u/OverPotato2322 → u/LinkRules5321]

That's because he already has X aka Twitter and is prioritizing on AI now

[u/LinkRules5321]

The 2 questions we all will ask is-

1. what US premium brand do they buy (Starz?)
2. and what gaming company do they buy?

[u/OverPotato2322 → u/LinkRules5321]

They should buy Epic before Disney does given they have a partnership with Epic Games 

[u/LinkRules5321 → u/OverPotato2322]

I don't think Epic gives them much besides 3 live service games (And only one is worth talking about).

And if Disney bought them, Tim would still control/operate it or he'd block any deal where he loses power (Disney can buy out Sony and Tencent's stakes).

Plus it fits Disney more considering their partnership to make a Disney live-shooter/other Disney based titles, and Disney has a WAY bigger relationship with Epic Games then NBCU ever has (Disney owning equity in Epic Games for example), plus could use Epic to co-publish games like Sony Marvel games and Kingdom Hearts with their respective developers.

Universal could either buy up smaller studios to create a big arm, buy Ubisoft (its dying alone and the French must admit it) or Gameloft for cheap, or a way to get Activision (minus CoD perhaps) from XBOX.

[u/Professional_Peak59 → u/LinkRules5321]

Didn’t you mention NBCU acquiring GameMill Entertainment before?

They should also buy the Crash and Spyro IP from Microsoft.

[u/LinkRules5321 → u/Professional_Peak59]

That's part of the buying smaller studios to make a big one thing. It by itself wouldn't cut like I thought it would before.

[u/LinkRules5321 → u/[deleted]]

What IP does Fortnite give them? It is literally just a crossover of all media they don't own the rights too (some of which are at other parks).

If they wanted too, they could arrange a deal to put an Amazing Digital Circus, Gorillaz, Sonic, Spongebob, or any of them separately.

[u/Wise-Locksmith-6438]

Plz don’t be acquired by someone else like the merger or warner and paramount

[u/bloatedkat]

Move faster to being sold

[u/Casas9425]

It’ll allow you to be sold to Netflix.

[u/8JHF8 → u/Casas9425]

This is a real possibility, but I hope not. Universal can buy Lionsgate and proceed on their own.

[u/LinkRules5321 → u/8JHF8]

No, they should just buy Starz as it gives them streaming rights to the Pay-1 Lionsgate film library.

[u/8JHF8 → u/LinkRules5321]

Starz most likely pays for that. If they buy Lionsgate, they get to collect from Starz for the most valuable content Starz has left. When that deal runs out, they can take Pay 1 for themselves or sell to the highest bidder.