Scrat has been a fan favorite since the film Ice Age was released on March 2, 2002. The squirrel has always been up to no good, but the studio behind the movie, Blue Sky, had no idea just how much chaos the character would create. The company which currently owns the Ice Age franchise, Disney, just lost the rights to Scrat after a trademark dispute.
Several people have claimed ownership of Scrat over the years, but the strongest claim was made by Ivy Silberstein. The artist apparently pitched a character, Sqrat, to the company way back in 1999. The idea came from the sighting of a cross between a squirrel and a rat which Silberstein claims to have come across in a park.
Silberstein filed suit against Twentieth Century Fox for copyright infringement in 2002. The company was purchased by Disney in 2019. The judge ruled that Silberstein and Twentieth Century Fox were both equal owners of the rights to Scrat in 2003. While she lost her case against the company, the artist refused to give up so easily. Silberstein launched a campaign to reclaim full ownership of the character which continued right up until this year.
Silberstein has finally obtained restitution. Blue Sky backed down on January 28, 2022 after nearly two decades of legal battles. “No Scrat in Ice Age 6,” the artist said on Twitter. “Thank you, Disney, for respecting my trademarks and Sqrat which I created on May 19, 1999.” She went on to say that “it’s been 20 years since March 2, 2002 — the premiere date of the first film. It has been a struggle! I won!”
Disney sat down with Silberstein shortly after acquiring Twentieth Century Fox to see if she would be willing to reach an agreement over the rights to Scrat. The artist held her ground with Disney, forcing the company to concede. The outcome bodes well for the many writers and artists currently facing off against large corporations for the rights to their creations. Hopefully most of them will need less than two decades to get their just rewards.