Disney does not own the stories of Snow White or Cinderella. The company could not register copyright that would prevent anyone from using the underlying story.
The character of Mulan is loosely based on the heroine from the well-known ancient Chinese poem "The Ballad of Mulan" (木蘭詩). She is the only Disney Princess who is not royal by blood or marriage.
Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and other Disney princesses: Characters from its various animated films featuring princesses, such as Ariel from “The Little Mermaid,” Belle from “Beauty and the Beast,” and Jasmine from “Aladdin,” are part of its intellectual property.
Neither "Bambi" nor "Pinocchio" are original Disney characters and the latter is in the public domain as far as copyright goes. All of the Disney imagery surrounding the characters is Disney property.
Furthermore, Pinocchio creator Collodi died in 1890, meaning Pinocchio also transferred into the public domain in 1960, a full 70 years after the author's death per literary public domain regulations.
Disney still maintains the rights to the Winnie the Pooh characters created after 1926, including Tigger. If Tigger or any later character is used without permission, Disney may have a valid claim for infringement.
"Tinker Bell" appeared as a character in J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, first staged in 1904, and so the parties were in agreement that under copyright law, both the name and the character are in the public domain.
Mickey Mouse, Batman, Superman and Bugs Bunny all become public domain in the next 10 years. The Hundred Acre Wood has seen some pretty unsettling things over the years.
This deep history puts Cinderella into the public domain, which has allowed many authors to build on the story and a allowed the character to become as well known as she is today.
To utilise Disney characters without violating their rights, you must obtain permission from The Walt Disney Company or its subsidiaries. Its characters are protected by copyright and trademark laws, and unauthorised use can lead to legal consequences.
Can Mickey Mouse Copyright be Renewed? No, the Mickey Mouse copyright cannot be renewed. It will expire in 2023 – 95 years after Disney published Mickey Mouse for the first time.
However, the originals of most "fairy tales" are long out of copyright, and new versions of them may be created and published in any form, for pay or not, by anyone who chooses to do so. Some "fairy tales" are in fact original creations recent enough to still be under copyright protection.
Tushnet: Disney owns the copyright in whatever expression it contributed. So, that means its particular version of the story, including the visuals, and any surprising, non-standard plot elements. Although, with a lot of these stories, there are lots of variations.
There are many popular films and musicals that are based on novels that are now in the public domain. Obvious examples include Disney's Beauty and the Beast, which is based on the classic French fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, as well as The Wizard of Oz, which is based on L.
That's because the 1926 storybook, titled Winnie-the-Pooh, which introduced the titular character, passed into the public domain at the start of 2022, voiding its copyright, and thus Disney's media exclusivity over the character.
The 18th of January is the International Winnie the Pooh Day. The well-renowned work about the honey-loving teddy bear Winnie the Pooh by A.A Milne is protected by copyright in Europe and was protected by copyright in the US until midnight on New Year's Eve 2021-2022.
The characters of A. A. Milne's 1926 classic Winnie the Pooh are free to use legally without repercussion. US copyright law means that works of authors are avalable to use either 70 years after the author's death or 95 years after publication. In the case of Pooh, it is the latter.
