Mickey Mouse into Public Domain After 95 Years
The iconic American cartoon character Mickey Mouse officially entered the public domain on Monday, marking the expiration of its copyrights under United States law on the last day of 2023. This is a change that follows a long period of ninety-five years of copyright protection for the character.
The specific version of Mickey Mouse associated with the 1928 short film ‘Steamboat Willie’ has now become accessible for public use as of January 1. The expiration of the copyright for this early portrayal, featuring both Mickey and Minnie Mouse, is a result of the 95-year copyright term allowed by US law. The “Mickey Mouse Protection Act,” as it is often called, is a legal expert and director of Duke’s Centre for the Study of Public Domain. Professor Jennifer Jenkins emphasized how this rule affects various copyright holders and their requests for term extensions.
The current copyright term, established in 1998, is not expected to be further extended by Congress. In contrast to the US law, the European Union law protects intellectual property until 70 years after the creator’s death or, in the case of joint authorship, 70 years after the death of the last surviving author.
However, it’s important to note that the expiration of the Steamboat Willie copyright only applies to the non-speaking boat captain version of Mickey from the 1928 film. Disney informed that Mickey Mouse will continue to play a major role as a global ambassador for the corporation in storytelling, theme park attractions, and products. More contemporary renditions of the character are still protected by copyright.
While the character has entered the public domain, Disney still retains rights over the trademark of Mickey as a corporate mascot and brand identifier. This means that Mickey cannot be used deceptively to suggest that a product originates from the original creator, Disney. In a statement, Disney affirmed its commitment to preventing consumer confusion resulting from unauthorized uses of Mickey and other iconic characters.
Despite the entry into the public domain, the entertainment giant ensures that the character’s association with Disney’s stories, experiences, and authentic products will persist. Meanwhile, it’s important to remember that Disney owns other well-known characters in addition to Mickey Mouse, thus its claim about trademark protection applies to them all.
In a related development, the fictional character Tigger, along with Winnie the Pooh, has also entered the public domain, as the book introducing the bouncing tiger, ‘The House at Pooh Corner,’ reached the age of 96.
