Everyone’s favorite mouse is free! Free from copyright, that is! Sort of!
On January 1, 2024, copyright expired for the first iteration of the Mickey Mouse cartoon, Steamboat Willie. Steamboat Willie also debuts Minnie Mouse and is one of the first cartoons to have synchronized sound. The short was directed by Walt Disney, and it joins other works copyrighted in 1928 in the Public Domain in the US this year. The “Steamboat Willie” version of Mickey Mouse joins Winnie the Pooh, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, Robin Hood, Snow White, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland, in the wonderful world of the Public Domain. [https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/mickey/]
What is the Public Domain? Free!
“The “public domain” consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds the exclusive rights, anyone can legally use or reference those works without permission.” [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain]
What is copyright? Complicated!
“Copyright is a type of intellectual property that protects original works of authorship as soon as an author fixes the work in a tangible form of expression. In copyright law, there are a lot of different types of works, including paintings, photographs, illustrations, musical compositions, sound recordings, computer programs, books, poems, blog posts, movies, architectural works, plays, and so much more!” Like cartoons! [https://www.usa.gov/government-copyright]
What does this mean for the most popular mouse of all time?
We’re sure to see the likeness of the Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse in wild new ways, like horror movies. If you’re not ready for the de-Disney-fication of Mickey Mouse, you can always revisit the original cartoon.
For more Public Domain resources that are free to use and remix, check out these free to use resources from the Library of Congress, The Public Domain Review, HathiTrust, Internet Archive, and Wikipedia!
For more information and resources on other works entering the Public Domain this year, check out this great article from The Public Domain Review. Happy Public Domain Day 2024!
