Disney Releases Statement on Steamboat Willie Entering Public Domain
After years of delaying the inevitable, Mickey Mouse will finally land in public domain next year. Or at least, the Steamboat Willie version of the character will.
96 years after the character’s debut, Disney’s iconic mouse will lose its copyright status.
A Long Battle To Protect Mickey
The copyright protecting Mickey was originally set to expire in 1984. That date was determined by copyright law that dates back to 1909. Under the stature, copyrighted work was blocked from entering the public domain for 28 years, with an option to extend the protection for a second 28-year term.
In 1970, however, Disney successfully lobbied Congress to extend the lifespan by another 20 years. The new copyright rules were codified in the Copyright Act of 1976.
In 1998, with Disney once again facing the prospect of Mickey entering the public domain, Disney once again lobbied for an extension. This time, Congress passed the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, which was nicknamed the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act.”
The 1998 law is still the parameters under which copyright operates today. As there has been no extension since, Steamboat Willie will hit public domain on January 1, 2024.
Disney’s Response To Mickey Hitting Public Domain
While Disney will lose the copyright to the original version of Mickey, every other version of the character will remain protected.
In fact, every time the company creates an updated version of Mickey, it gets copyrighted. In response to fears that the company could lose control of Mickey and his clean-cut image, Disney released a statement assuring fans that nothing would change.
“More modern versions of Mickey will remain unaffected by the expiration of the Steamboat Willie copyright, and Mickey will continue to play a leading role as a global ambassador for the Walt Disney Company in our storytelling, theme park attractions, and merchandise,” Disney said in a statement to the Associated Press.
For the foreseeable future, Mickey will at least remain Disney’s property. As time passes, however, more versions of Mickey will enter public domain. Then, the company may have some hard decisions to make.
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