You look at the sign on the crossroads pointing the way to the Courthouse, & then head off in that direction. You take the next Moustro tram headed for London's West End, & after traveling for several minutes, your ride comes to a stop somewhere on Strand Lane (known to the humans as simply The Strand). After getting off the Moustro tram & watching it pull away, you find yourself standing at the entrance of a large mouse building.
Unlike the other mouse buildings you've seen, this one hasn't been built into the side of a human's building (although it does lie adjacent to one); the tall, imposing structure is constructed out of shimmering white marble, with its triangular roof supported by several columns that tower like trees. On the front of the building, going across the length of the roof-bottom, you can see Roman-style letters that spell out, "The Royal Courts Of Mouse Justice".
With curiosity burning inside of you, you begin to walk up the flight of stairs that lead to the front porch of the courthouse. After finally reaching the top, you go over to the large oaken double-doors, open them, & make your way inside the building.
The main lobby of the Royal Courts Of Mouse Justice is a vast, spacious chamber with neatly-polished floors, lavish paintings & portraits on the walls, & spectacular light fixtures hanging from the high ceiling, along with wooden benches that run along the length of the walls. Your footsteps echo throughout the corridor as you slowly walk through it, trying not to draw attention to yourself (although it seems that you're the only furson there, so it probably doesn't matter all that much!).
After a few minutes of exploring the lobby of the courthouse, you find nothing of particular interest, so you turn to make your way outside...but, suddenly, you stop when you get to a large sign with neatly-printed writing all over it. You lean in to take a closer look at the sign, wondering what the text on it says...
COPYRIGHTS, DISCLAIMERS, & OTHER LEGAL INFORMATION
Before you do anything else in the Fanfic World, it is highly suggested that you read the entirety of this copyright & disclaimer. Though this article is lengthy, it nevertheless contains important information over the matters of this website.
SECTION 1: THE PURPOSES OF THIS WEBSITE
Back in late 2004, I established this website, formally known in full title as "The Mouse Avenger's GMD Fanfic World", to create an environment of sorts where visitors could learn more about my original thoughts, ideas, characters, fanfiction stories, & fanart (among other things) related to the Walt Disney Pictures film "The Great Mouse Detective" (referred to from now on as GMD, for short). From the beginning, this website was never intended to proclaim any affiliation or association with Walt Disney Pictures or the creators of this marvelous animated classic, nor is it now. While I do admit to the use of copyrighted characters in a website about a copyrighted movie, I am doing so for the use of non-profit, non-commercial support for a film that I have admired for as long as I can remember; also, I sustain a particular theory that any wanderers who attend the site & have not yet seen GMD will gain an interest in the movie &, in turn, purchase a copy of GMD in any format & any memorabilia affiliated with the film. Having checked & confirmed that my theory has been proven correct on numerous occasions, I hereby & truthfully deny any commercial purposes for this website or any intention to lure anyone away from GMD.
SECTION 2: WHAT BELONGS TO WHO
Part 1: Characters & Ideas That Are Already Copyrighted
It goes without saying that the cast of GMD as portrayed on this site is copyrighted by Disney (& originally copyrighted by the late Eve Titus, as well). Of course, since this site is entirely about the movie, the use of its characters is inevitable; nevertheless, I do not, under any circumstances, claim any form of ownership whatsoever to Basil Of Baker Street, Dr. David Q. Dawson, Ratigan (reformed or otherwise), Olivia Flaversham & her father Hiram, Mrs. Judson, Fidget, Queen Mousetoria, Toby, or Felicia--they are solely & entirely the intellectual property of the Walt Disney Company & any affiliated studios (though I will admit to mild "trifling & tinkering" with their personalities for the sake of my stories). Other, but considerably minor, GMD characters, including (but not limited to) Lady Mousewell, the majority of the members of the Rat Trap Crew, Jemediah Fieldson, & Cathy Sheridan, are also intelluctual property of Disney in themselves, though I do claim ownership to the original names & personality characteristics I myself have created *for* them.
This leads to my next point: discussion over original characters based on those from other media (including, but not limited to, the Droogs, Mr. Altoid, Gadget & Julie McBride, certain members of the Wisteria Lodge, Brigette Cousteau, etc.) & those based on particularly famous celebrities of the current, modern era (including, but not limited to, Princess, Slick Willie, Michael Jacksonville, etc.).
In reference to the characters based on those from other forms of media, I claim ownership to the characters in themselves, but will still take the time to thank the people who are truly responsible for their creation on the whole: Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Burgess, Walt Disney Studios & any other famous film or television company that I credit or mention in my character profiles, Eve Titus, & anyone else I have failed to mention. As for the characters based on celebrities, I do not intend to demean or paint portraits of the characters' models in an unflattering light; these characters were created as loving, affectionate tributes to celebrities & entertainment moguls I have admired for years & years. No libel or defamation is intended, nor are these characters intended for commercial use at any point of the here-&-now or the future; they are strictly for fun & entertainment purposes, & even more so for private use only. Furthermore, I do not intend to make a penny off the images of the celebrities the characters are based upon, either.
Finally, there are certain sections of Barney's Bookstore, Basil's Encyclopedia, & Madame Ratburn's Wagon that contain fanfics, character bios, & other documents featuring characters from films & TV shows besides "The Great Mouse Detective". These include, but are not limited to, the following:
The Rescuers & The Rescuers Down Under
A Clockwork Orange
Dr. Strangelove, Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying & Love The Bomb
The Shining (Stanley Kubrick's version)
Once Upon A Forest
Ferngully: The Last Rainforest
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
ChalkZone
SpongeBob SquarePants
Rugrats
Purple Rain
Graffiti Bridge
Under The Cherry Moon
Rock & Rule
Hey, Arnold!
Cool World
Cat People (the 1982 remake by Paul Schraeder)
The Pebble & The Penguin
All characters from the aforementioned (& unmentioned) films & TV shows belong to their respective owners. I claim no ownership to any of them, although I do claim ownership to any original names & personality characteristics that I have created *for* them.
Part 2: Songs Listed In The "Libretto Company"
While the subject of this section of this article is discussed in greater depth in the Music Room Copyright & Disclaimer, I will nevertheless discuss it here--albeit briefly--for your sake. While I do claim ownership to many of the songs, a just-as-great number are strictly the intellectual & creative property of their respective owners, who are credited properly in the Music Room C&D. The same applies to original songs for my stories written by others.
Part 3: Fanart Stored In The "Alley-House"
With the exception of my GMD & non-GMD fanart, all other fanart in the "Alley-House" is strictly the property of the person who drew it. I only store it here for displaying the creative talents of GMD & non-GMD fans (to whom I give many thanks for their permission to host the art here) & the results of their hard work.
SECTION 3: PERTAINING TO THE USE OF MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS & IDEAS
While, as I have greatly emphasized before, I claim no ownership to any of the GMD characters (including the "reborn" ones), every other character is the sole intellectual & creative property of The Mouse Avenger (a.k.a. me). It is absolutely imperative that you ask for my explicit, written permission before using any of my characters (this includes my versions of the minor GMD ones) or fanfic ideas; being the generous person I am, I will be more than happy to allow usage of the aforementioned, so long as I am properly credited.
HOWEVER...
In the event that any of my original material is stolen or used without my explicit permission, I will offer a warning to the offender not to do it again; if the problem persists, though, I will more than likely have to resort to more drastic measures (which, for the sake of the perpetrator's privacy, will only be disclosed to the offender). For the use of educational or demonstrative purposes, however, I will grant automatic, immediate permission for usage of my characters & ideas--again, so long as I am properly credited.
SECTION 4: PERTAINING TO THE USE OF MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE
This section will be broken into 2 parts, which are also to be fragmented for the sake of clarity.
Sub-section 1 (Pertaining To GMD Or Any Other Copyrighted Materials)
Screenshots, Images, Icons, Clipart, Film Clips
Any & all images or forms of visual media related strictly to GMD & the characters associated with it (including the ones I renamed) are the sole intellectual & creative property of Walt Disney Studios. The same applies to any copyrighted images used in the character profiles, as well as their associated & appropriate owners (which are not limited to Disney, incidentally). Excluding all film clips featured on the website, strictly-GMD-related images, icons, & pictures of any sort (& only those) may be downloaded or saved to your hard drive; however, if you do not own GMD in any format (particularly VHS, DVD, or Laserdisc), you must delete said images from your computer within 24 hours.
MIDIs, Character WAVs, Soundtrack MP3s
Excluding any forms of audio labeled otherwise, all MIDIs, WAVs featured on the character profiles, & soundtrack MP3s are intellectual & creative property of their respective owners. They may be downloaded & kept on your hard drive, unless you do not own any of the original songs (MIDIs), the GMD soundtrack (MP3s), or the movies from whence they came (the character profile WAVs). If that is the case, then you must delete the downloaded audio within 24 hours.
Previously-Written Lyrics & Parodies
As stated before (as well as in the Music Room C&D), I claim no ownership whatsoever to any of the previously-written songs featured in the "Libretto Company" or any of my fanfics. The lyrics of these numbers are the sole intellectual & creative property of the writers & performers who collaborated upon them. As for the numerous parodies in the "Libretto Company", I only claim ownership to the original aspects of the lyrics; any & all formerly-used words or melodies of these parodies belong to their creators. For the sake of protecting your legal interests, you must not download the lyrics or host them on another website unless you have the original songs in any format.
Sub-section 2 (Pertaining To Original Materials)
Fanfics
Unless you are only quoting particular scenes or bits of dialogue for the purposes of commentary, critique, or criticism, I cannot allow the use of the entirety of my fanfics (GMD or otherwise) on other webpages without explicit permission (& once again, only if you credit me). For private entertainment purposes, however, they may be downloaded (& only that).
Character Bios
Unless I give my explicit, written permission, any portions of my character bios are off-limits for downloading or use on other sites. There is an exception, however, if you are attempting to critique or comment on anything in them.
Fanarts & Original Character Pics
Fanarts & original character pics may be downloaded or stored on other websites, given that you do not claim ownership to them (unless you are indeed the artist, & that applies to fanart only).
Original Lyrics
Unless I give my explicit, written permission (as stated before), the download or hosting of my original lyrics on other sites is prohibited.
I now hereby end this copyright & disclaimer with the hopes of acquiring the owners' pardon of the use of the copyrighted objects or items listed above, assuming they keep the previously-mentioned points in mind. Thanks so very much for taking the time to read this, & please enjoy your stay in the Fanfic World. :-)