Is Disney losing the rights to Mickey Mouse? That seems strange. Well, sadly, it is true Mickey Mouse will be returning to the public domain.
2024 will mark a significant milestone in the world of copyright and intellectual property as Mickey Mouse, the beloved and iconic character created by Walt Disney, is entering the public domain in the United States. This means that anyone, including individuals, artists, and creators, could now use the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse as a character in their works as long as he resembled the 1928 incarnation.
This may leave fans wondering if Disney is losing the rights to beloved Mickey: Who will be the next character to go? The most popular FAB 5 character that will be returning to the domain soon is Pluto, first seen in 1930 and projected to enter the public domain in 2025. Mickey’s girlfriend Minnie Mouse came alive in 1928 and is projected to enter the public domain in 2024, as well, alongside Mickey. Well, at least this early version of Minnie Mouse.
Last but not least, Donald Duck became a lovable, funny character in 1934, which means Disney will be letting him go in 2029.
Globaltoynews shared a list of the next characters who will be entering to the public domain. The amount of characters that will soon be heading into the public domain is astounding, and includes Superman, Daffy Duck, Batman, The Flash, Captain America, James Bond, Aquaman, and several other characters that will be heading towards the public domain by 2036.
While these characters may go into the public domain, they may be trademarked and protected. Such as Disney may still hold trademarks on the name Mickey Mouse and his distinctive image, which includes his red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves. This means that while you can use the character, you may need to be cautious about how you use his name and likeness to avoid infringing on Disney’s trademarks.
Since Mickey Mouse going into the public domain means creators can only recreate his image from 1928 this means Mickey will most likely look like the 1928 version of Steamboat Willie, which was the first image of Mickey Mouse.
Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 and saw multiple copyright extensions, leading to his entry into the public domain in 2024. However, the rules are different for characters created later, such as Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and other Disney characters.
