White House uses Tim and Moby in political video, creators cite copyright breach
The White House posted a clip featuring the BrainPOP characters Tim and Moby wearing MAGA hats, prompting the creators to issue a copyright warning.
A White House-uploaded video this one outlet showed the BrainPOP mascots Tim and Moby dressed in MAGA caps and denouncing the Department of Education’s performance. BrainPOP reacted by posting its own explanatory video about the complexities of copyright, emphasizing that the characters had been copied without permission. The response clip has amassed nearly 3 million views on X, drawing praise for confronting a government that has faced multiple copyright lawsuits.
Professors Jane C. Ginsburg and Cathay Y. N. Smith explained that a DMCA takedown notice would be the most direct and cost-effective option, since courts cannot issue injunctions against the government. The White House’s original video was taken down from X on Thursday but still appears on Instagram and Facebook, and neither party has commented further.
Why it matters
It highlights a rare clash between a federal office and a private education company over intellectual-property rights.
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