Portrait of Mickey Mouse from the 1928 short film “Steamboat Willie”.
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Author, Nour Naji
Role, correspondent for cultural affairs
8 hours ago
Steamboat Willie, a 1928 short film of a non-speaking version of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, is seen as the moment that made Disney’s fortune and made cinema history.
After a long wait, their images are now available to the public in the United States, once Disney’s copyright has expired.
This means that cartoonists can now redraw or use older versions of Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
In fact, anyone can use these versions without permission or cost.
But Disney warned that newer versions of Mickey Mouse are still subject to copyright.
“We will continue to protect our rights to subsequent releases of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright,” the company said.
US copyright law states that rights to characters can be held for 95 years, meaning the Steamboat Willie characters entered the public domain on Monday, January 1, 2024.
These works can now be legally shared, reused and repurposed.
Films, books, music and other famous people dating back to 1928 are also available to the American public today.
Image source: Getty Images
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A 1928 lobby card for the circus, for which Charlie Chaplin won an Oscar
Among the works that have entered the public domain are Charlie Chaplin’s silent romantic comedy known as “The Circus”; Written by the English writer AA Milne.
The UK has its own rules on copyright and expiry dates for works.
Disney has faced the loss of copyrights to its original cartoons several times in the past.
The characters were expected to first enter the public domain in 1984, but Congress extended the period by 20 years.
Before the next deadline, in 2004, another 20-year extension was approved.
“Very symbolic”
Disney’s efforts to protect its characters led to legislation calling itself the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act.”
Jennifer Jenkins, director of the Duke Center for the Study of Public Ownership, told the BBC that it was a “highly symbolic and long overdue” event.
“What this means for us is that starting in 2024 anyone will be free to copy, share and build on the original 1928 cartoons and the characters in them,” he said.
Jenkins said the moment was particularly significant because of Disney’s “notable role” in extending the copyright term, which prevented its properties from entering the public domain for an extended period.
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Disney says it will protect consumers from confusion caused by unauthorized use of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse
Disney still holds a separate trademark on the character of Mickey Mouse as the creator of this trademark. That means there are still restrictions on how the public can use these images, Jenkins said.
“What I can’t do is start producing merchandise and the same types of products that Disney sells,” he said.
“So if I sell T-shirts with Mickey and Minnie Mouse on them, and someone sees those T-shirts and mistakenly thinks they’re getting a Disney product, that’s where the problem lies.”
So any use of Mickey Mouse that gives the impression that it belongs to a brand other than Disney will still be a problem for the company.
Jack Kendall, a 32-year-old digital content creator who runs a YouTube channel about Disney news, thinks someone might try to give Mickey and Minnie the “horror movie” treatment.
He compared it to when the cartoon character Winnie the Pooh entered the public domain and was made into the R-rated horror film Blood and Honey, which was one of the worst films of the year.
Kendall, who has more than 168,000 subscribers to his Disney Newcast channel, believes Disney wants to avoid any legal battles.
He told the BBC: “The company wants to protect its two most famous figures.”
He believes that Disney’s active use of trademarked versions in Steamboat Willie merchandise, new animated shorts, and even the studio’s movie logo, is “Disney’s way of protecting the characters if they want to take the legal route against any egregious use of the characters”.
A Disney spokesperson said that since Mickey Mouse first appeared in 1928, people have associated the character with the company.
“That won’t change when the copyright on Steamboat Willie expires,” they said.
“Newer releases of Mickey Mouse will not be affected by the expiration of Steamboat Willie’s copyright, and Mickey Mouse will continue to play a leading role as a global ambassador for The Walt Disney Company in storytelling, theme park attractions and merchandising”.
The company added that it will “work to protect consumers from confusion caused by unauthorized use of Mickey Mouse and our other iconic characters.”
