An Old School Mickey Mouse Is In the Public Domain—Here's Exactly What That Means
Mickey Mouse in "Steamboat Willie"
You may have heard that Mickey Mouse is public domain as of Jan. 1, 2024 — but what does all of that mean?
Not as much as you might be assuming.
Only one iteration of Mickey Mouse, the version used in the 1928 cartoon in which he originated, Steamboat Willie, is now public domain. A version of Minnie Mouse from Plane Crazy, another short released the same year, is also now public domain.
To celebrate, there's already a creepy video game with Mickey's Steamboat Willie likeness, Infestation 88, in the works. (See the trailer below if you're not easily spooked!)
You may recall that when Winnie the Pooh entered the public domain, we were graced with the slasher Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.
Now that Steamboat Willie is public domain, what can you do with it—and how will it impact Disney? Let us explain.
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Is Steamboat Willie public domain yet?
Yep! Steamboat Willie and Plane Crazy became public domain on Jan. 1, 2024, after Disney's 95-year copyright expired. (For the record, copyrights used to only be for 75 years after corporate authorship and/or 50 years after the death of an author, but Disney previously lobbied to have them extended another 20 years, specifically to keep Steamboat Willie under their massive umbrella.)
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What parts of Mickey Mouse are public domain?
Ooh, that sounds grisly, doesn't it? Essentially, the only part of Mickey Mouse that's public domain is the design and depiction of Mickey Mouse from Steamboat Willie. Other versions of the revered rodent remain under copyright of Disney. That means that you'll only be able to use the version of Mickey Mouse that's seen above, without his now-signature gloves (which debuted around 1940) and lacking the whites of his eyes. The same applies to Minnie Mouse from Plane Crazy.
Disney retains ownership of a slew of other copyrights associated with Mickey Mouse, as well as trademarks on the names Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, as well as on Mickey and Minnie Mouse as identifiers of the Disney brand.
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What entered public domain 2024?
Quite a few creative works entered the public domain as of New Year's Day 2024. These include the aforementioned Steamboat Willie and Plane Crazy, as well as notable literary works like:
Peter Pan (stage play version) by J.M. Barrie
Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf
Dark Princess by W.E.B. DuBois
The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
All Quiet on the Western Front (original English translation) by Erich Maria Remarque
The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie
West-Running Brook by Robert Frost
House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne (which introduces Tigger to public domain)
Films newly minted in the public domain include:
Lights of New York (sold as the first "all-talking" film)
The Cameraman (Buster Keaton film)
The Circus (Charlie Chaplin film)
Should Married Men Go Home? (Laurel and Hardy film)
The Man Who Laughs (film with a character who inspired the Joker)
Street Angel (starring Janet Gaynor, who won the very first Best Actress Oscar for her role)
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons (Disney's foray that inspired Mickey Mouse)
Some of the songs entering public domain this year include:
"Mack the Knife"
"I Wanna Be Loved By You"
"Makin' Whoopee!"
"Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)"
"Beau Koo Jack"
"Pick Pocket Blues"
"Empty Bed Blues"
"There's a Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder"
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Did Steamboat Willie lose copyright?
It did! Steamboat Willie became public domain on Jan. 1, 2024.
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Will Mickey Mouse ever be public domain?
Probably not entirely, in part because Disney has enough money to hire really great lawyers. As long as new renditions of Mickey Mouse keep coming out (and they have, and they will), it means more and more copyrights of that content will exist.
"Ever since Mickey Mouse's first appearance in the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie, people have associated the character with Disney’s stories, experiences, and authentic products," Disney told the Associated Press. "That will not change when the copyright in the Steamboat Willie film expires."
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Why is Mickey Mouse not public domain?
Mickey Mouse as a whole isn't public domain because Disney still has a slew of copyrights on the character and design, as well as trademarks on its branding and the name "Mickey Mouse."
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Why did Disney lose Mickey Mouse?
Disney didn't lose Mickey Mouse entirely, and they likely never will. They simply lost the copyright to the specific Mickey Mouse that originated in Steamboat Willie.
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Is Peter Pan in the public domain?
The boy may never grow up, but his copyright did: As of Jan. 1, 2024, the stage play version of Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie is public domain.
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Is Donald Duck in the public domain?
Not yet, but he could be within the decade if copyright laws remain the same.
Donald Duck made his debut in the 1934 animated short The Wise Little Hen, meaning that by January 2029, you may see that specific iteration of the lisp-addled American Pekin in slashers and gory games, too.
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