Finally, after almost a century, Mickey Mouse has escaped Disney’s copyright restrictions. On January 1st, 2024, the first iterations of the well-known cartoon character—which appeared in Steamboat Willie and a silent version of Plane Crazy—became publicly available in the United States. (Fortunately, an early Minnie Mouse version is also included.) Although Mickey’s safeguards remain a convoluted tangle, this is the day that proponents of the public domain have been waiting for for decades, and there are a tonne of other fascinating new entries to enjoy as well.
Mickey Mouse: Puplic Domain
As usual, the Centre for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke Law School has compiled a list of well-known works whose copyright protections expire in the United States today. Sound recordings from 1923 and other media works published in 1928 are included in the list. That includes, among other things:
- D.H. Lawrence’s scandalous, oft-censored Lady Chatterley’s Lover
- Virginia Woolf’s Orlando
- J.M. Barrie’s play Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up
- Bertolt Brecht’s The Threepenny Opera and Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front, both in the original German
- The original German composition of Threepenny Opera song “Mack the Knife”
- W.E.B. Du Bois’ Dark Princess
- A. A. Milne’s House at Pooh Corner, which introduced the character of Tigger
- The film The Man Who Laughs, a Victor Hugo adaptation widely known for inspiring the look of Batman villain the Joker
- The musical composition for Cole Porter’s “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love)”
- M.C. Escher’s Tower of Babel woodcut
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Explore a collection of public-domain sound recordings at the Library of Congress National Jukebox. Techdirt hosts the Public Domain Game Jam, inviting creations inspired by newly published public domain works. However, for enduring characters like Mickey Mouse, copyright complexities persist, excluding later design changes. The public domain concept, originally meant as the final destination for copyrighted works, faced a 20-year freeze in the US due to the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, colloquially known as the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act.” Mickey Mouse embodies extended copyright debates, reflecting Disney’s influence on intellectual property law. As public-domain Mickey emerges, legal disputes over limits may arise, akin to challenges with characters like Sherlock Holmes.
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Short note about Mickey Mouse:
Mickey Mouse, created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, made his debut in the animated short film “Steamboat Willie” on November 18, 1928. He quickly became a cultural icon and the mascot of the Walt Disney Company. Over the years, Mickey has starred in numerous cartoons, comics, and feature films. His timeless appeal has made him one of the most recognisable and beloved characters in the world, symbolising the magic of Disney entertainment.
I liked it as much as you did. Even though the picture and writing are good, you’re looking forward to what comes next. If you defend this walk, it will be pretty much the same every time.