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Disney loosens 60-year grip on Oregon's outgoing Duck

Matt Hinton

Oregon's Duck mascot -- with his giant oblong eyes, old-school sailor's motif, pantless swagger and occasional fits of unrestrained rage -- doesn't just look like Disney's famous Donald Duck: Technically, it is Donald Duck. Athletic director Leo Harris reached an informal agreement with Walt Disney himself in 1947 to continue using a Donald-esque cartoon that had emerged as the image of the Oregon Duck, and the two sides reached an official agreement in 1973 that gave the corporate goliath control over where the Duck could appear and perform (i.e. only sporting events), and to ensure that the student inside the costume would "properly represent the Donald Duck character."

That is, it was Donald Duck. But after a 60-year stake in the mascot, Disney formally relinquished copyright claims to the costumed duck this week:

Under its formal licensing agreements with Disney, the UO had to get Disney's permission to use the Duck in any setting outside those described in the agreements, which set out strict rules for how the UO can use Disney trademarks. And when the Duck strayed -- and yes, the Duck has strayed -- the university had to scramble to smooth any ruffled feathers in the Magic Kingdom.

No more as far as the Duck mascot is concerned. The UO/Disney licensing agreement remains in effect for the printed logos on sweat shirts and the like. But the costumed Duck mascot now answers only to the university.

In an agreement finalized this week, Disney acknowledges that the current incarnation of a costumed character featured at the University of Oregon's athletic and promotional events (the Oregon Duck) is not substantially similar to Disney's Donald Duck character.

The agreement came after the sides came together to discuss the Duck's unsanctioned appearance -- unbeknownst to Disney or the university -- in last winter's tongue-in-cheek YouTube hit, "I Love My Ducks":

Donald Duck doesn't have the marketing cachet he once did. Still, I find it hard to believe one of the world's most storied and powerful entertainment corporations wouldn't want to be associated with that -- "I Love My Ducks" is at least as good as any of the lucrative pubescent caterwauling peddled on the Disney Channel -- but Oregon's grip on the mascot will be significantly looser, at least until the next on-field brawl. Get in line now for "I Love My Ducks 2."