I've argued this point with friends for years. Individual characters (Mickey Mouse, Bart Simpson, James Bond, etc) and the like would be trademarked, and could

I've argued this point with friends for years. Individual characters (Mickey Mouse, Bart Simpson, James Bond, etc) and the like would be trademarked, and could only be used in new works by the trademark holder. Those works, however, would be released into the public domain after x years.