Disney will soon be losing the rights to Mickey Mouse, and while many are seemingly thrilled to see the animation enter the public domain, the lack of knowledge in regards to which rendering is available for public use can lead many into dark lawsuit alleyways where Disney can sue you, and if there is one company that you do not want to go up against due to their unlimited funds in the legal department, it’s Disney.

Mickey Mouse, an enduring and beloved figure in the realm of entertainment, was brought to life by the collaboration of Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks in the 1920s, and soon he will be available to you and I, except there are still limitations and restrictions in place.
His debut took place in the animated short film Steamboat Willie, which premiered on November 18, 1928, at the Colony Theatre in New York City.
Mickey Mouse was actually the first animated character to showcase synchronized sound, a groundbreaking achievement that revolutionized the viewing experience. One of his most iconic attributes is his voice, which was originally conveyed by Walt Disney himself!

Following the triumph of Steamboat Willie, Mickey Mouse became the iconic symbol of an expanding Disney empire. In 1929, he ventured into the realm of comic strips, marking his presence in the inaugural Mickey Mouse comic strip.
In the early 1930s, Mickey starred in a series of short films, including the acclaimed The Band Concert (1935), cementing his status as a cultural phenomenon. In 1932, he received his first Academy Award nomination for the short film Mickey’s Orphans.
Mickey’s cast of characters expanded to include other beloved figures like Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto. The Silly Symphonies series further enriched the animated adventures featuring Mickey and his friends.
Throughout the decades, Mickey Mouse evolved to suit the changing times, adapting to new mediums such as television with shows like The Mickey Mouse Club and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

In recent developments, it was announced that Disney “officially retired Mickey Mouse”.
Since 2020, Mickey Mouse has been featured in the animated Disney+ series The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse, a continuation of the highly acclaimed Disney Channel series Mickey Mouse. The series received praise for its return to classic Disney slapstick humor, earning numerous Emmy and Annie Awards.
However, Disney has declared that the final episode of The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse would air months ago, concluding with the main Mouse teaming up with his black and white incarnation, Steamboat Willie. That ending, however, would bring us right back to where we are now, with the character entering the public domain.
While Mickey may be entering the public domain, we have just learned through all of his shorts and shows listed above that there have been many renditions of the mouse, and not all will be available for public use on January 1, 2024.
Fortune wrote, “Current artists and creators will be able to make use of Mickey, but with major limits. It is only the more mischievous, rat-like, non-speaking boat captain in “Steamboat Willie” that has become public.
“More modern versions of Mickey will remain unaffected by the expiration of the Steamboat Willie copyright, and Mickey will continue to play a leading role as a global ambassador for the Walt Disney Company in our storytelling, theme park attractions, and merchandise,” Disney’s statement said.

Not every feature or personality trait a character displays is necessarily copyrightable, however, and courts could be busy in the coming years determining what’s inside and outside Disney’s ownership.
“We will, of course, continue to protect our rights in the more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright,” the company said.
When Winnie the Pooh entered the public domain, we saw things like the 2023 horror film Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey arise. Disney certainly will want to protect the image of Mickey for as long as possible, and if he is displayed in versions of himself that do not align with the company or Disney as a whole, it would be a bad look on Disney, even if it is not their fault, as the character is synonymous with the brand.
As we can see from Disney’s comments, they will be actively protecting other versions of Mickey, aka any version that is not that initial Steamboat Willie Mickey, meaning they will take legal action if anyone’s content or creations violate a current copyright infringement.

The publication continued, “Disney still solidly and separately holds a trademark on Mickey as a corporate mascot and brand identifier, and the law forbids using the character deceptively to fool consumers into thinking a product is from the original creator. Anyone starting a film company or a theme park will not be free to make mouse ears their logo.”
U.S. law allows a copyright to be held for 95 years after Congress expanded it several times during Mickey’s life thanks to the “Mickey Mouse Protection Act”.

In addition to Mickey Mouse, we will also see Tigger enter the public domain on January 1, 2024. That being said, anyone looking to create something with the likeness of Mickey Mouse once he enters the public domain should proceed with caution, ensuring that they are not pulling from any of the more contemporary versions.
Do you think that Disney should worry about how some may depict Mickey Mouse once he enters the public domain?