Cartoon fans will have something extra to celebrate on New Years Day, especially if they happen to spend it in Disneyland.That’s the day one Michel Mouse — otherwise known as ‘Mickey’ passes into the public domain under American copyright law, 95 years after he first appeared on-screen in the ubiquitous Steamboat Willie cartoon.That means the images — and sounds — of the iconic film will be available for non-licensed commercial uses. Apart from the first appearance of the iconic rodent, the 1928 short is considered a technical achievement for being the first film of any kind to have synchronized sound, ushering in the era of the ‘talkie’..It’s also a landmark for critics of US copyright law, which is often referred to as the ‘Mickey Mouse Protection Act’ after it was successively extended under pressure from Disney — the latest being 1998’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) which includes civil and criminal penalties for violation.The US law goes well beyond other parts of the world such as Europe and includes works that are already in public domain in other countries of origin. That’s why books by George Orwell, such as 1984, and Animal Farm that are already public in Europe will retain their American copyright for at least another two decades.There’s no indication the American government is prepared to extend it further, in an era of internet streaming and social media sites such as YouTube. And legal experts are predicting years, if not decades, of litigation to determine what is and isn’t outside of Disney’s control in terms of how its trademarks are actually used..One thing for certain is more modern representations of the retro-rodent will still be covered under existing law. Also protected is Disney’s mouse-eared corporate logo used to identify its proliferation of movies and theme parks.Which is to say, the chances of some entrepreneur opening an amusement park with a mouse-eared Ferris wheel will still be in infringement of the law.“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 said in a statement.Other notable Disney characters it purloined from popular culture — but didn’t create — may also be impacted. For instance, Winnie the Pooh passed into public domain two years ago after A.A. Milne’s 1926 novel Winnie-the-Pooh and all the illustrations in it became public in 2022.That resulted in an R-rated slasher flick, last year’s Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, where the erstwhile children’s character was depicted as a mass murderer. Some elements, such as his short sleeved red shirt, are still off limits. Unless it’s covered in blood. .Other notable works coming into public domain on January 1 include D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterly’s Lover; Agatha Christie’s The Mystery of the Blue Train; George Gershwin’s An American in Paris; and a half-dozen silent Charlie Chaplin films..The film, which was made for less than USD$100,000 opened on 1,500 screens and grossed more than $5.2 million, $1 million in Mexico alone.In 1921, the last year he was under copyright, Winnie tied Mickey in worldwide licensing revenue at $80 billion, behind Pokémon and Hello Kitty.The irony is that Tigger, which didn’t appear in a Milne novel until 1928’s The House at Pooh Corner, also passes into public domain this year. And over the next 10 years early iterations of Donald Duck, Pluto, Bugs Bunny, Batman and Superman will join them given that pop culture, was essentially invented after 1920.“When Superman and Batman fall into the public domain, there’s going to be some wild films, I’m sure of it,” Blood and Honey writer, director and co-producer Rhys Waterfield told Associated Press. “There’s going to be so many different and cool unique iterations coming off that. I might do one.”Other notable works coming into public domain on January 1 include D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterly’s Lover; Agatha Christie’s The Mystery of the Blue Train; George Gershwin’s An American in Paris; and a half-dozen silent Charlie Chaplin films.
