Mickey Mouse has escaped Disney's copyright grip after almost a century. 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—become 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 public domain have been waiting for for decades, and there are a ton of other fascinating new entries to enjoy as well. As usual, the Center 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.
Copyright law, of course, is especially problematic for iconic figures like Mickey Mouse. Notably, the character's design from the 1940 Fantasia film Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey is absent from the public domain version. Moreover, because Mickey Mouse is a registered trademark of Disney, you are not permitted to create any work that purports to be an official Disney production or item of goods. The statute is explained in significantly greater detail on Duke's blog by Jennifer Jenkins, the director of the Duke Center for the Study of the Public Domain.
Disney's vested interest in intellectual property law and expanded copyright rights are represented by Mickey Mouse, but to differing degrees of justice. In an attempt to deprive "woke corporations like Disney of special copyright protections," Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) advocated a near-nuclear IP law repeal after Disney offended Republican lawmakers by denouncing Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law. As with other characters like Sherlock Holmes, we might witness legal disputes over the exact boundaries of Mickey's public domain; yet, now is an excellent time to consider innovative applications for vintage media.
