According to US copyright law, the rights for a character expire 95 years after the publication of the original work. Disney will lose the Mickey Mouse copyright for Steamboat Willie in 2024, since the short animated film was produced and distributed in 1928.
The beloved mouse that is nearly a century old will soon enter public domain — the original Mickey Mouse's copyright expires in 2024. This anthropomorphic mouse is recognizable even by the silhouette of his ears and, in some ways, has been the face of The Walt Disney Co. since his 1928 creation.
You can basically use most things from Steamboat Willy and the other early cartoons EXCEPT for Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The reason for this is that Mickey Mouse is protected under Trademark, which means even with the Public Domain, because Mickey is a mascot/icon for the company, trademark law is what applies to him.
The Mickey Mouse we recognize today, like this image from Fantasia (1940), will still have copyright protection until 2036. As it stands, Steamboat Willie will enter the public domain on January 1, 2024.
When Walt Disney failed to sell Mickey Mouse the first time around, he had to evaluate the features of the product to determine what would satisfy his customers' needs and wants. Disney created a voice and a personality for the mouse character that ended up making the Mickey Mouse's character a huge success.
Mickey Mouse Copyright Expires in 2023 - What Happens Next?
Why can't Disney use Mickey Mouse anymore?
As per the US copyright law, the rights to characters expire 95 years after publication (for works published or registered before 1978). Thus, Disney, which is also called the House of Mouse due to the character, may lose the rights to the character.
In 1928, copyrights lasted for 28 years, with the option for renewal of another 28 years. As of 2023, Mickey Mouse was published almost 95 years ago. The copyright of the original Mickey Mouse character – as it appeared in “Steamboat Willie” – expires on January 1, 2024.
After that, the copyrighted material falls into the public domain, meaning anyone can use it however they'd like. That's why, ahead of the company's 100th birthday this October, we've started seeing NSFW depictions of classic Disney characters. The prime example: Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.
What will Disney do when Mickey Mouse copyright expires?
While Steamboat Willie will soon be entering the public domain, which would open it up for fair use by virtually anyone, the Mickey Mouse copyright is still in place. Disney will maintain its control over Mickey Mouse due to trademark protection.
While Disney may no longer have copyright protection for Winnie the Pooh, there are still opportunities for legal recourse that Disney can take. Disney still maintains the rights to the Winnie the Pooh characters created after 1926, including Tigger.
In 2024, Disney will introduce new "good-to-go days" that will allow Disney annual passholders and cast members to visit the theme parks without a theme park reservation.
Pooh, Piglet, Kanga, Roo, Owl, Eeyore and Christopher Robin all became public domain on January 1 last year when the copyright on A.A. Milne's 1926 book, Winnie-the-Pooh, with illustrations by E.H. Shepard, expired.
He's public domain. Popeye's image now belongs to the world. There are no longer royalties to pay because his creator, Elzie Segar, died in 1939, and in much of the world, copyright expires 70 years after the creator's death.
In truth, the earliest version of Mickey Mouse, which first appeared in the 1928 landmark animated short Steamboat Willie, will be entering the public domain when the film's copyright expires in 2024.
No, Disney cannot renew the copyright for Mickey Mouse. The copyright will expire by law in 2023. Disney cannot obtain a Mickey Mouse copyright extension. However, Disney also still owns trademarks for Mickey Mouse, which do not expire in 2023.
Walt Disney Co. has controlled the rights to Winnie-the-Pooh since 1961 and kept depictions of Milne's talking animals true to the spirit of the family-friendly material. The copyright expired in January 2022. Since then, Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends have been available to the public for other purposes.
And over the next dozen years or so, many other well-known characters will see their copyright expire, too, including: Mickey Mouse (2024) Pluto (2025) Donald Duck (2029)
Copyright renewal is a copyright formality through which an initial term of copyright protection for a work can be extended for a second term. Once the term of copyright protection has ended, the copyrighted work enters the public domain, and can be freely reproduced and incorporated into new works.
EPS from continuing operations for the nine months ended July 1, 2023 decreased to $1.14 from $1.66 in the prior-year period. Excluding certain items(1), diluted EPS for the nine months ended July 1, 2023 decreased to $2.94 from $3.22 in the prior-year period.
Why is Walt Disney so rigid with copyright? It is strict with copyright to protect their intellectual property rights and prevent others from profiting from their creations without permission.
Does Disney sue people for copyright infringement?
Because it is such a recognizable brand, many creators like to incorporate it into their content or products in order to boost views and sales. As you might expect, Disney is not down for that. Disney has a long history of battling every single copyright infringement, even from small shops or creators.
Disney+ lost roughly 11.7 million subscribers worldwide in the three months that ended July 1, for a new total of 146.1 million. All the decline came from a low-priced version of Disney+ in India. Last year, Disney lost a bid to renew the expensive rights to Indian Premier League cricket matches.
The Walt Disney Company's efforts paid off when Congress enacted the Copyright Act of 1976. It allowed published works to be under copyright for the whole life of the author plus half a century more, or 75 years if the said work was owned by corporations. Mickey Mouse was now protected until 2003.
Copyright expiration is important for the public domain. Because once a work's copyright term has expired, the work is free for all to use — to repurpose, to republish, to build upon. The public domain fuels creativity ... and the longer you lock up works, well, you get the idea.
