THE ANGELS.- Mickey Mouse will soon be yours, mine and everyone’s property.
With some asterisks, exceptions and caveats, Mickey Mouse in its initial form it will be the leader of the characters, films and books that will enter the public domain on the first day of 2024.
In a moment that many observers believed would never come, at least one version of the quintessential piece of intellectual property and perhaps the most iconic character in American popular culture will be free of Disney copyrights, as his first appearance in The screen, the short film “Steamboat Willie”, with Mickey and also Minnie, will be available to the public.
“This is the moment. This is Mickey Mouse. It’s exciting because it’s symbolic in some ways,” said Jennifer Jenkins, a law professor, director of the Center for Public Domain Studies at Duke University and author of an annual column for “Public Domain Day.” “I feel like the pipe on the steamboat when it smokes. How exciting”.
Under US law, copyright is valid for 95 years. He Congress He expanded it several times during Mickey’s life.
“It’s sometimes derisively called the Mickey Mouse Protection Act,” Jenkins said. “It’s an oversimplification because Disney wasn’t the only one pushing for the extension. “It was a whole group of copyright holders whose works were about to enter the public domain and benefited greatly from the 20 years of additional protection.”
“Since Mickey Mouse’s first appearance in the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie, people have associated the character with authentic Disney stories, experiences and products,” a company spokesperson said in a message to the Associated Press. “That won’t change when the copyright on the movie Steamboat Willie expires.”
Artists and creators will be able to use Mickey, but with great limitations. The only thing that has passed into the public domain is the roguish boat captain in “Steamboat Willie,” mute and rather rat-like.
“More modern versions of Mickey will not be affected by Steamboat Willie’s copyright expiration, and Mickey will continue to serve as a global ambassador for the Walt Disney Company in our stories, theme park attractions and merchandise,” he said. the company in its message.
However, not all traits or characteristics of a character are necessarily subject to copyright, and in the coming years courts could be forced to determine what is and is not covered by Disney’s right.
“We will, of course, continue to protect our rights in more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright,” the company said.
Source: AP
