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Disney has successfully fought for decades to keep its most famous ambassador locked up tight under copyright protection.
But next year, that's set to change.
Mickey Mouse (at least the first iteration of the iconic mascot) is set to set to enter the public domain at the beginning of 2024, nearly a hundred years after his premiere in the 1928 animated short "Steamboat Willie."
Current copyright law dictates that copyright must expire after 95 years — and we have the Disney company itself to thank for making a copyright's lifespan that long.
The "Steamboat Willie" Mickey Mouse looks a lot different than the one we know today strolling around Disney Land. The mouse from the animated short has a narrow, thin tail and a longer nose.
The copyright protecting that character was originally set to expire in 1984, according to Loyola University Chicago School of Law's Intellectual Property Law Blog.
Copyright law dating back to 1909 allowed a work to remain closed off from the public domain for 28 years, with an option to extend another 28 years, according to LUC's law blog.
But, in the 1970s, Disney successfully lobbied to get that lifespan extended by another 20 years, resulting in a new copyright law: the Copyright Act of 1976.
And 20 years later, with the end of Mickey's new copyright looming, Disney again lobbied for an extension, leading to the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, which was nicknamed the "Mickey Mouse Protection Act" because of Disney's hand in it, according to LUC's law blog.
That 1998 law is what all copyrights operate under today. But there hasn't been another extension to the law, so starting January 1, anyone can use Steamboat Willie.
But even though the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse is entering the public domain, Disney doesn't need to be too worried about imposter Mickeys popping up around the world.
Every time the company creates an altered version of the character, it gets copyrighted, and all modern depictions of the friendly mouse are protected, according to LUC's blog. Disney also owns trademarks on the modern incarnation of Mickey Mouse, giving the brand's mascot even more protection.
"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," Disney said in a statement to the Associated Press.
Steamboat Willie isn't the first iconic character to drop into the public domain. In 2022, the initial version of Winnie the Pooh became free to use; a year later, the character starred in a violent unrated slasher flick, "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey."
Is a Steamboat Willie horror movie next? Count us out!
