Mint Mobile and Winnie-the-Pooh Play in the Public Domain

Ryan Reynolds’ mobile company, Mint Mobile, released a new ad showing off the wonders of the public domain. For those unfamiliar with copyright law, corporate properties become available to the public 95 years after publication. Essentially, anyone can use that property as they’d like without paying copyright fees. In this case, Mint Mobile just celebrated the original “Winnie-the-Pooh” story crossing into public domain with their own story, “Winnie-the-Screwed”.

Marketing efforts that include Ryan Reynolds often carry a tongue-and-cheek approach, filled with winks and nods to pop culture, and this ad is no exception. Reynolds also references Disney, the owner of Winnie-the-Pooh, suggesting that he expects to hear from “a certain mouse” very soon. The potential legal action adds another layer to the spot and lets the viewer in on the joke. This is one of the strengths of Reynolds’ branding, where many of his marketing efforts level with the viewer and speak to them from a unique perspective of comradery. Perhaps this will become a yearly tradition, since each year brings new properties to the public domain.