The copyright of Walt Disney's flagship character, Mickey Mouse, expired on January 1, 2024.

Mickey Mouse, whose copyright has expired, was limited to characters that appeared in 1928 short animation “Steamboat Willie.”

However, as trademark rights are still protected and Disney has announced a legal battle, it is unclear whether these creations will continue to be produced.

Mickey Mouse holds cultural significance as a symbol of the Walt Disney Company and pop culture overall, retaining immense popularity around the world.

Mickey Mouse was first introduced in the 1928 short animation "Steamboat Willie".

The copyright expired on January 1, 2024, and this means that anyone can freely use this work.

Copyright safeguards the exclusive rights of authors over their creative works in various domains, including literature, art, or academics.

Mickey Mouse, which first appeared in the 1928 short animation “Steamboat Willie”, received copyright protection for 95 years and after being modified, is still copyrighted and trademarked.

Anyone can copy or modify only the 1928 version of Mickey Mouse.

The U.S. Congress extended the protection period of copyright law twice, providing copyright protection for 95 years, but this statute of limitations has expired.

The copyright for “Steamboat Willie” was originally scheduled to expire in 1984, but Walt Disney continued to lobby for the extension of the copyright.

With the revision of the Copyright Act in 1979, Mickey Mouse's copyright expiration period was extended from 1984 to 2003, and the 'Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act' passed in 1998 extended the copyright expiration period from 2003 to 2023.

However, there were cases where copyrighted works were lost during this period.

The Sony Bono Copyright Extension Act, which received much criticism, was even referred to as the ‘Mickey Mouse Act.’

Walt Disney further developed its Mickey Mouse character business under the protection of copyright law.

Walt Disney is a representative company that generates profit from works whose copyrights have expired.

Walt Disney's representative animations, such as 'Alice in Wonderland', 'Snow White', 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame', 'Sleeping Beauty', 'Cinderella', 'The Little Mermaid', and 'Pinocchio' all use expired copyrighted works.

Mickey Mouse's personality and antics were influenced by the silent film Charlie Chaplin.

In an interview with American Magazine, Walt Disney said, “We owe it to Charlie Chaplin.”

Given this context, Mickey Mouse becoming public domain in 2024 holds significant meaning.

Since then, Mickey Mouse, who appears in the new film wearing white gloves, oversized shoes and big eyes, remains subject to copyright protection.

The Walt Disney Company owns various offensive weapons, including trademarks as well as copyrights.

This opened the way for anyone to freely create creative works using Mickey Mouse from 'Steamboat Willie', but caution is necessary as the copyright for newer depictions of Mickey Mouse after 1928 remains alive.

Despite the copyright expiration, using Mickey Mouse imagery, such as on T-shirts or stationery, you may be attacked by Walt Disney, which still holds the trademark rights.

Meanwhile, as soon as the original Mickey Mouse copyright expired, various content using Mickey Mouse, such as horror videos featuring Mickey Mouse and cruel Mickey Mouse games, were released on social media.

A trailer for a horror movie called “The Mickey Mouse Trap” featuring a killer wearing a Mickey mask was posted including a little scene from Steamboat Willie.

The classic FPS game 'Mouse' using Mickey Mouse's paint assets is also scheduled to be released in 2025, but the real Mickey Mouse does not appear as it is just a design element.

While both expectations and concerns are raised regarding the expiration of copyrights for Disney characters, there are also predictions that Disney may use trademark rights in the future to crack down on secondary creations.

Mickey Mouse is a clear example of the serious contradictions and conflicts in the creative ecosystem around the world.

Copyright and trademark rights enrich businesses, but they can also threaten the activities of individual creators and artists.

Kyujin Joung
Grade 10
Yongsan High School