It's not, really. Disney does not sell "adult massagers", and everybody knows it, so if I want to make one and call it the "Mickey Mouse", they do not have grounds for a trademark infringement action. They do not sell that type of product.
Once Steamboat Willie is in the public domain, I can even put a picture of Walt's original Mickey character on the box.
Of course, the profit margins on a product that does not set fire to the "sue me now" beacons are usually going to be higher. If you are not already aware, the international intellectual property protections are more beneficial to people and companies that have more money to spend on invoking them.
Once Steamboat Willie is in the public domain, I can even put a picture of Walt's original Mickey character on the box.
Of course, the profit margins on a product that does not set fire to the "sue me now" beacons are usually going to be higher. If you are not already aware, the international intellectual property protections are more beneficial to people and companies that have more money to spend on invoking them.
Just because you could doesn't mean you should.