The clock is ticking for Mickey Mouse ‒ the world’s most beloved animated rodent. January 1st, 2024 marks the expiration date of the copyright for Walt Disney’s legendary short film Steamboat Willie. The film, as well as the characters therein, will forever become part of the public domain to be used freely without the risk of copyright infringement. This iconic asset of the Disney Corporation is not alone ‒ year by year, additional copyrighted works, ranging from the Superman comic to literary masterpiece The Great Gatsby will slowly enter the public domain.
However, budding entrepreneurs hoping to make their millions by selling public domain merchandise should think twice before confirming a jumbo order of Mickey Mouse coffee mugs. The free use of Mickey Mouse will be limited to the character only as portrayed in Steamboat Willie. Later incarnations of Mickey Mouse ‒ including all color versions ‒ will remain the property of Disney until the expiration of each incarnations’ respective copyright. To make matters more complicated, Disney also owns the trademark to Mickey Mouse. This means Disney may pursue litigation if it is determined consumers are being misled or are confused about whether or not the product is officially-branded.
As more and more works ubiquitous to American culture are integrated into the public domain, it will become absolutely essential to safely navigate fair usage and copyright law.