What happens now that Mickey Mouse is in the public domain? Use cases and more explored

One of the earliest versions of Disney’s Mickey Mouse entered the public domain on January 1, 2024, as Disney’s 95-year-old copyright ended on Monday. The iconic American character who turned a symbol, a mascot, and an expression is free of copyright control as per laws of the United States.

This version of Disney Mickey Mouse first appeared in the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie along with Minnie Mouse. Both the characters from Steamboat Willie and Plane Crazy are in the public domain now. As such, people can now share, use, copy, and build on these versions. However, the company still retains its copyright on the later versions of the trademark character.

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What does Disney Mickey Mouse entering the public domain mean?

A scene from Steamboat Willie (Image via Disney)

As per US laws, a copyright can be held for an extended period of 95 years. The 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act extended the 75-year-old period by another 20 years. While many companies besides Disney sought the copyright protection extension, the law acquired the nickname “Mickey Mouse Protection Act”.

The US law is slightly different in its terms from the European Union law that allows a copyright for 70 years after the creator’s (or last surviving creator’s) death. However, copyright holders operating in the US took advantage of the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act” to get the extra 20 years.

The Steamboat Willie’s Mickey is copyright-free along with his friend Minnie, both just short of turning a century.

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Disney’s Mickey Mouse: Copyright freedom and limitations

The public domain has acquired only the non-speaking boat captain Mickey Mouse from the 1928 silent cartoon movie. The other versions of the iconic character will not be affected by the end of the 95 years of copyright condition. As such, the colorful, modern version of the rodent character who can speak volubly remains under the company’s hold.

The cartoon character is also the global brand ambassador for the Walt Disney Company and features in shows, merchandise, and theme parks. The company believes people will continue associating the character with the company and its stories, products, and experiences.

The colorful, speaking Mickey remains company's brand ambassador (Image via Disney)

As for limitations, being Disney’s brand identity and corporate mascot, Mickey cannot be used deceptively to indicate something owned or promoted by the company.

The company plans to work towards safeguarding its reputation and controlling confusion caused by the unauthorized use of all its characters in the public domain. An example would be using Winnie the Pooh in an R-rated horror movie, Blood and Honey, with disastrous results.

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Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters in the public domain

Steamboat Willie was a 1928 silent movie where Mickey played the boat captain who made musical instruments out of other animals. The cartoon movie inspired the Buster Keaton film titled Steamboat Bill Jr. However, the latter has been in the public domain since 1956.

Other crowd-favorite cartoons in the public domain are Winni the Pooh and his friend Tigger. J M Barrie’s Peter Pan play, Agatha Christie’s The Mystery of the Blue Train, and Charlie Chaplin’s The Circus are some other famous works in the public domain.

Virginia Woolf’s Orlando: A Biography and D H Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover are other works entering the domain this year. The year 2025 will bring Popeye the Sailor Man into the public domain along with The Treachery of Images, a painting by Rene Magritte, and All Quiet on the Western Front, the English translation of Erich Maria Remarque’s work.