According to a report by the Associated Press on December 14, the copyright of Mickey Mouse, the representative image of the Disney Company, will expire on January 1, 2024, when it will enter the public domain and will no longer be protected by copyright. Theoretically, anyone has the right to use the image to produce goods or create creations without having to pay royalties to The Disney Company. However, it was limited to the original Mickey Mouse design in Steamboat Willie, and subsequent revisions are still under copyright protection.
The original Mickey Mouse (left) and the modern Mickey Mouse (right).
Mickey Mouse copyright for "unlimited refills".
The earliest version of Mickey Mouse refers to the image of Mickey Mouse in the movie Steamship Willy, released in November 1928. Source: Orange Persimmon Interactive of Metro Express
On October 16, 1923, Walt Disney and Roy Disney founded the Disney Brothers Animation Studios. Relying on a number of deeply rooted animation characters, the studio has since grown into a $145 billion company with 12 theme parks around the world, countless merchandise sales, and a market capitalization.
"Steamboat Willie" is actually the third Mickey Mouse animation produced by Walt Disney, but it is also the first animated short film to be shown publicly. The whistling captain Mickey Mouse in the cartoon is loved by the audience. Mickey Mouse's IP immediately became popular. The original 1928 version of Mickey Mouse had no whites of eyes, no gloves, and was more playful and mouse-like, unlike the later version of Mickey Mouse, which wore red shorts, white gloves, and a more rounded face.
In 1935, Walt Disney received an award from the Argentine consul in Los Angeles. Source: Orange Persimmon Interactive of Metro Express
In order to prevent Mickey Mouse's copyright from lapsing, Disney has lobbied Congress twice to amend U.S. copyright law, and both times it has been successful. For this reason, U.S. copyright law is also nicknamed the "Mickey Mouse Protection Act."
Originally, U.S. copyright law provided for a copyright term of 56 years, but after strong lobbying by companies such as Disney, the U.S. Congress extended the company's copyright term to 75 years after the work was published.
Mickey Mouse image from the 50s. Source: Disney's official website
The second time, in 1998, Disney again lobbied Congress to get Congress to extend the company's copyright for a second time to 95 years from the date of the work's release.
Netizens used a paragraph to describe the "strongest legal department on the surface" Disney's legal department: If you accidentally end up on a desert island, you draw a big Mickey Mouse pattern on the island, and Disney's lawyer will find you and send you a lawyer's letter.
In 1941, Walt Disney drew a Mickey Mouse head in chalk at a Miami hotel. Source: Orange Persimmon Interactive of Metro Express
The copyright expires, and Disney still has trademarks
For a long time, Mickey Mouse has become the "mascot" of the "IP empire" Disney, which can bring in billions of dollars in revenue for Disney every year.
The Disney Company said in a statement that it would work to prevent consumers from being confused by unauthorized Mickey Mouse and other iconic cartoon characters. This may mean that the Disney Company is ready to continue its fight against piracy in line with trademark laws.
After all, in addition to copyright protection, there is also trademark protection for the protection of artistic images. The Disney Company has already applied for trademarks for its artistic image in various jurisdictions, and the trademark system has an operable and permanent term of protection, and theoretically as long as it is renewed on time, the exclusive right to use the trademark can continue forever.
Disney has applied for various trademarks for the image of Mickey Mouse, and a little Mickey-like style can be counted in the trademark.
Disney's various trademarks have actually been abstract and summarized in various versions of the Mickey Mouse image, and in 1928, Mickey Mouse's works entered the public domain as part of the Mickey Mouse series of images, which did not have much impact on the Disney Company.
The Associated Press said copyright disputes related to the Disney Company are expected to become more in the coming years as the copyright for the original Mickey Mouse expires.
(Yangcheng Evening News • Yangcheng Pai Comprehensive City Express Orange Persimmon Interactive, The Paper, Global Times)