The First Mickey Mouse Cartoon is Now Free in the Public Domain
A new year, a new era for Disney. For decades, Disney fought tooth and nail to control the rights to its characters. However, their luck has run out. As of midnight, January 1st, 2024, Mickey Mouse is now public domain! Well, one version of him is.
Disney’s Lingering Trauma?
Before Mickey Mouse, Walt Disney’s first big success was Oswald the Lucky Rabbjt, a character he created for Universal Pictures. After he had a falling out and severed ties with them, Disney didn’t just lose his team of animators. Due to the nature of the contract, he also had no rights to the characters he created. In other words, Disney lost his own creation, and it wouldn’t be until decades after his death that the company he and his brother founded got Oswald back.
Why mention all this? Because it may partially explain why Disney has gone on to devote so many resources to keeping control on its creations. That, or it’s just as likely that they simply didn’t want to see the character that made them who they are free for the public to mess with.
Disney Changed the Law to Protect Mickey
Originally, copyrights were only meant to last for 28 years, with the ability to extend it by another 28 when renewing it. Thus, 1984 would’ve seen Steamboat Willie enter the public domain. Being in the public domain means anyone can use intellectual property without legal repercussions. In other words, anyone could do anything to Mickey without incurring Disney’s wrath.
Disney’s response: in the 70s, they got Congress to pass the Copyright Act of 1976, extending their hold on their mascot for another twenty years later. When it was running out in the 90s, they did it again. The law passed was even dubbed the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act.” However, they were either unwilling or unable to extend it even further. Thus, as of now, Steamboat Willie is free for all to use. It’s even being published on YouTube channels.
However, this victory for public domain is limited. The versions of Mickey and Minnie found in Steamboat Willie are the only versions in the public domain. All other versions are still protected by copyrights. However, this won’t stop people from using this newfound freedom for all it’s worth.
And it seems like people have been already planning on this in advance.
People Already Milking Steamboat Willie for All it’s Worth
Within hours of the start to 2024, YouTube was flooded with people openly publishing Steamboat Willie on their channels, and Disney can’t do a thing about it. What’s more, some channels started posting parodies of the OG version of Mickey, adding fuel to the fire. The biggest announcement of all, though, is the reveal of the trailer for Infestation 88, a horror game involving a monstrous version of Steamboat Willie Mickey.
In other words, people have been planning this stuff for months. The irony that this happens the day after Disney finishes celebrating it’s 100th birthday is not lost on anyone, either. What a way to start the new year.
