Mickey Mouse steps into the public domain: An enduring legacy

<p>The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney, is going to <strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-disney-to-lose-rights-to-mickey-mouse-as-the-character-enters-public-domain-but-theres-a-caveat-547569">lose its marquee character Mickey Mouse</a></strong> at the end of this year. As per the US copyright law, the rights to characters expire 95 years after publication (for works published or registered before 1978). However, don't expect writers or directors and rival studios to cash in on the opportunity to make their own Mickey Mouse movies and shows as only the 'Steamboat Willie' version of the character will go out of copyright. 'Steamboat Willie', in case you don't know, was a 1928 animated short that marked the first appearance of Mickey. It was quite different from the wholesome and lovable anthropomorphic rodent we know him as today.</p>

<p>The more modern Mickey Mouse, the cuddly mouse with red shorts and rounded features, is still under the grubby paws of Disney. While it still must be a fairly big loss, I doubt anybody at the House of Mouse is shedding a lot of tears. The media and entertainment conglomerate possesses some of the biggest and most profitable franchises in the world. The list includes the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Pixar movies, 'Avatar', countless animated classics like 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' and 'The Lion King', Indiana Jones, and many more.&nbsp;</p>

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<p>The truth is, the execs at Disney could not care less at the loss of Mickey Mouse, particularly the less pleasant version of the character. But the reason it has taken 95 years for 'Steamboat Willie' Mickey Mouse to go out of Disney's stables makes for an interesting and a little unsettling story.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>How Disney affected US copyright laws</h2>

<p>The first federal copyright law in the US came into existence in 1790. It guaranteed "fourteen years from the time of recording the title thereof", with a provision for renewal for 14 more years if the author survived. The law was about books, maps, and charts, and excluded music and paintings. They were included in the future. By the time Disney, founded by Walt and Roy O. Disney, came into existence in 1923 as Disney Brothers Studio (it later underwent two name changes and was called Walt Disney Studio and Walt Disney Productions at different points in time), the amendments in the copyright law (the latest was in 1909) allowed 56 years of protection of published works. This included the initial 28 years and an option to renew for 28 more years.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also Read:&nbsp;<strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-why-disney-could-lose-the-rights-to-mickey-mouse-494564">Why Disney could lose the rights to Mickey Mouse</a></strong></p>

<p>As per this, 'Steamboat Willie' should have gone out of copyright in 1984, sending the character to the dreaded (by Disney, anyway) public domain. But Disney began to make serious efforts with Congress (also called lobbying) to further amend the law and extend the expiration duration. It did make a sort of sense, as there had been no changes in the law since 1909. The world, on the other hand, had changed radically, including the wider prevalence of new forms of media like film, TV, and radio.</p>

<p>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.&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BBgghnQF6E4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>

<h2>So why did 'Steamboat Willie' not enter the public domain in 2003?</h2>

<p>For the simple reason that Disney was still loathe to let go of its first animated film. Emotional value and so on. Who am I kidding, this was more likely a case of a corporation wanting to squeeze the last ounce of profit from an 80-year-old film. So as 2003 came closer Disney, again, lobbied for Congress to further extend the copyright expiration date. The efforts again bore fruit. And thus, in 1998, Congress enacted the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998. Derisively called 'The Mickey Mouse Protection Act', it retained the copyright to the author's lifetime and added 70 years. For works of corporate authorship, like with Disney, the act allowed 95 years from the work's original publication or 120 years from the creation, whichever expires first.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Will Disney again lobby to impede the expiration of 'Steamboat Willie''s copyright?</h2>

<p>Unlikely. As said above, Disney is in charge of by far the biggest collection of pop culture franchises in the world. It only became bigger with its acquisition of 20th Century Fox. The future in which Disney pretty much owns everything you watch on the telly or in theatres is not as unlikely as it looks any longer. Disney is like a mythical monster like the Greek Hydra or the African Kammapa, which gobbles every IP it can get, and grows ever larger. The company may have an image of a provider of cute, cuddly content but the reality is much darker.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Disney does not need 'Steamboat Willie' or even Winnie the Pooh (AA Milne's 1926 stories set in the Hundred Acre Wood went out of copyright in 2021). It has absolute command over the box office with the MCU movies, almost every one of which grosses close to $1 billion even in the pandemic-affected times. It owns the 'Avatar' franchise, each film of which will likely gross $2 billion, and the fifth and final film may cross that incredible $3 billion mark.</p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>


The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney, is going to lose its marquee character Mickey Mouse at the end of this year. As per the US copyright law, the rights to characters expire 95 years after publication (for works published or registered before 1978).

The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney, is going to lose its marquee character Mickey Mouse at the end of this year. As per the US copyright law, the rights to characters expire 95 years after publication (for works published or registered before 1978). However, don't expect writers or directors and rival studios to cash in on the opportunity to make their own Mickey Mouse movies and shows as only the 'Steamboat Willie' version of the character will go out of copyright. 'Steamboat Willie', in case you don't know, was a 1928 animated short that marked the first appearance of Mickey. It was quite different from the wholesome and lovable anthropomorphic rodent we know him as today. The more modern Mickey Mouse, the cuddly mouse with red shorts and rounded features, is still under the grubby paws of Disney. While it still must be a fairly big loss, I doubt anybody at the House of Mouse is shedding a lot of tears. The media and entertainment conglomerate possesses some of the biggest and most profitable franchises in the world. The list includes the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Pixar movies, 'Avatar', countless animated classics like 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' and 'The Lion King', Indiana Jones, and many more. The truth is, the execs at Disney could not care less at the loss of Mickey Mouse, particularly the less pleasant version of the character. But the reason it has taken 95 years for 'Steamboat Willie' Mickey Mouse to go out of Disney's stables makes for an interesting and a little unsettling story. How Disney affected US copyright laws The first federal copyright law in the US came into existence in 1790. It guaranteed "fourteen years from the time of recording the title thereof", with a provision for renewal for 14 more years if the author survived. The law was about books, maps, and charts, and excluded music and paintings. They were included in the future. By the time Disney, founded by Walt and Roy O. Disney, came into existence in 1923 as Disney Brothers Studio (it later underwent two name changes and was called Walt Disney Studio and Walt Disney Productions at different points in time), the amendments in the copyright law (the latest was in 1909) allowed 56 years of protection of published works. This included the initial 28 years and an option to renew for 28 more years. Also Read: Why Disney could lose the rights to Mickey Mouse As per this, 'Steamboat Willie' should have gone out of copyright in 1984, sending the character to the dreaded (by Disney, anyway) public domain. But Disney began to make serious efforts with Congress (also called lobbying) to further amend the law and extend the expiration duration. It did make a sort of sense, as there had been no changes in the law since 1909. The world, on the other hand, had changed radically, including the wider prevalence of new forms of media like film, TV, and radio. 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. So why did 'Steamboat Willie' not enter the public domain in 2003? For the simple reason that Disney was still loathe to let go of its first animated film. Emotional value and so on. Who am I kidding, this was more likely a case of a corporation wanting to squeeze the last ounce of profit from an 80-year-old film. So as 2003 came closer Disney, again, lobbied for Congress to further extend the copyright expiration date. The efforts again bore fruit. And thus, in 1998, Congress enacted the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998. Derisively called 'The Mickey Mouse Protection Act', it retained the copyright to the author's lifetime and added 70 years. For works of corporate authorship, like with Disney, the act allowed 95 years from the work's original publication or 120 years from the creation, whichever expires first. Will Disney again lobby to impede the expiration of 'Steamboat Willie''s copyright? Unlikely. As said above, Disney is in charge of by far the biggest collection of pop culture franchises in the world. It only became bigger with its acquisition of 20th Century Fox. The future in which Disney pretty much owns everything you watch on the telly or in theatres is not as unlikely as it looks any longer. Disney is like a mythical monster like the Greek Hydra or the African Kammapa, which gobbles every IP it can get, and grows ever larger. The company may have an image of a provider of cute, cuddly content but the reality is much darker. Disney does not need 'Steamboat Willie' or even Winnie the Pooh (AA Milne's 1926 stories set in the Hundred Acre Wood went out of copyright in 2021). It has absolute command over the box office with the MCU movies, almost every one of which grosses close to $1 billion even in the pandemic-affected times. It owns the 'Avatar' franchise, each film of which will likely gross $2 billion, and the fifth and final film may cross that incredible $3 billion mark.

How Disney routinely exerted influence on the US copyright law to keep its greatest asset — Mickey Mouse

<p>The mascot of Disney and one of the most recognisable characters in pop culture, Mickey Mouse, will be out of its owner's grasp next year. As per the New York Times, 'Steamboat Willie', the short animated film that introduced the character in 1928 is out of copyright. 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. But that reportedly includes just the 'Steamboat Willie' version of the character.&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BBgghnQF6E4" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>The 'Steamboat Willie' Mickey is quite different from the wholesome, anthropomorphic rodent we know him as today. He was more ratlike in his features, and could even be cruel. The more rounded Mickey with a sweet disposition is still sadly under copyright, and Disney is likely going to be extremely unforgiving to those who rip off its mascot in their stories.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The character was co-created by Walt Disney himself and artist Ub Iwerks. The character was meant to be a replacement for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, an earlier Disney character. It is best known for its trademark appearance featuring red shorts with two white dots, yellow gloves, and big yellow shoes.</p>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/wion-fineprint-disney-set-to-lose-iconic-mickey-mouse-character-in-2024-494511/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>Mickey Mouse holds the honour of being the first cartoon character to have their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In most of the stories, Mickey appears with supporting characters like his girlfriend Minnie Mouse, his pet Pluto, Donald Duck, Goofy, among others.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The 1941 animated short featuring Mickey, titled 'Lend a Paw' won an Academy Award in the Best Animated Short Film category.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Do not expect something like the horror thriller treatment that has been meted out to Winnie the Pooh in the upcoming slasher 'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey'. The Pooh Bear went out of copyright last year. And Writer-director Rhys Frake-Wakefield took the opportunity to make&nbsp;him and his friends&nbsp;deranged killers. The film is a twisted retelling of the short stories by AA Milne, in which Christopher Robin, Pooh, and others did have all those adventures in Hundred Acre Wood, but then the boy grew up and went to college. Pooh, Piglet, and others, meanwhile, went more and more hungry and became feral. Now, they have become so crazy that in the film's story they terrorise a group of girls residing in a rural cabin.&nbsp;<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>


The mascot of Disney and one of the most recognisable characters in pop culture, Mickey Mouse, will be out of its owner's grasp next year. As per the New York Times, 'Steamboat Willie', the short animated film that introduced the character in 1928 is out of copyright.

The mascot of Disney and one of the most recognisable characters in pop culture, Mickey Mouse, will be out of its owner's grasp next year. As per the New York Times, 'Steamboat Willie', the short animated film that introduced the character in 1928 is out of copyright. 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. But that reportedly includes just the 'Steamboat Willie' version of the character. The 'Steamboat Willie' Mickey is quite different from the wholesome, anthropomorphic rodent we know him as today. He was more ratlike in his features, and could even be cruel. The more rounded Mickey with a sweet disposition is still sadly under copyright, and Disney is likely going to be extremely unforgiving to those who rip off its mascot in their stories. The character was co-created by Walt Disney himself and artist Ub Iwerks. The character was meant to be a replacement for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, an earlier Disney character. It is best known for its trademark appearance featuring red shorts with two white dots, yellow gloves, and big yellow shoes. Mickey Mouse holds the honour of being the first cartoon character to have their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In most of the stories, Mickey appears with supporting characters like his girlfriend Minnie Mouse, his pet Pluto, Donald Duck, Goofy, among others. The 1941 animated short featuring Mickey, titled 'Lend a Paw' won an Academy Award in the Best Animated Short Film category. Do not expect something like the horror thriller treatment that has been meted out to Winnie the Pooh in the upcoming slasher 'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey'. The Pooh Bear went out of copyright last year. And Writer-director Rhys Frake-Wakefield took the opportunity to make him and his friends deranged killers. The film is a twisted retelling of the short stories by AA Milne, in which Christopher Robin, Pooh, and others did have all those adventures in Hundred Acre Wood, but then the boy grew up and went to college. Pooh, Piglet, and others, meanwhile, went more and more hungry and became feral. Now, they have become so crazy that in the film's story they terrorise a group of girls residing in a rural cabin.

Disney to lose rights to Mickey Mouse as the character enters public domain. But there's a caveat