The earliest iteration of Mickey Mouse from Walt Disney's 1928 animated clip "Steamboat Willie" entered the public domain on Monday, January 1.
However, Disney - which has been notoriously litigious and protective of its brand and principal character - insisted that only the black-and-white version of Mickey and Minnie Mouse from "Steamboat Willie" and "Plane Crazy," respectively, would lose its copyright and not their other versions.
"More modern versions of Mickey will remain unaffected by the expiration of the 'Steamboat Willie' copyright, and Mickey will continue to play a leading role as a global ambassador for the Walt Disney Company in our storytelling, theme park attractions, and merchandise," a Disney spokesperson told CNN in a statement.
Disney added that the company would "continue to protect" its rights in what they called "the more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright," and that they would work to safeguard against "consumer confusion" from the "unauthorized" use of Mickey and their other characters.
Mickey Mouse Slasher
One of the very first public domain uses of Mickey Mouse's "Steamboat Willie" era would be featured in a 2024 slasher film called "Mickey's Mouse Trap," releasing its trailer on Tuesday (January 2).
The film was expected to be released by March.
Making content of the likeness of characters in the public domain began in 2023 after Winnie the Pooh's likeness was used in the horror film "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey."
Other Works Entering US Public Domain
The global standard for copyright dictates that copyright is effective while the author is alive and until 50 years after his death. However, US copyright law called for copyright expiry to take effect on the 70th year after the author's death or 95 years after publication.
The Verge reported that other works that entered the public domain in the US include D.H. Lawrence's "Lady Chatterley's Lover"; Virginia Woolf's "Orlando"; J.M. Barrie's play "Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up"; A. A. Milne's "House at Pooh Corner," which introduced the character of Tigger; and The film "The Man Who Laughs," a Victor Hugo adaptation widely known for inspiring the look of Batman villain the Joker.
