In a momentous turn of events set to transform the creative landscape, the iconic characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse will enter the public domain on January 1.
This historic milestone will grant artists, filmmakers, authors, and creators unrestricted access to the original versions of these beloved characters.
The beloved and groundbreaking 1928 silent masterpiece Steamboat Willie - directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks - will serve as the catalyst for this momentous shift, with its copyright expiration liberating the original versions of the timeless characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Forbes reports.
Jennifer Jenkins, the director of the Duke Center for the Study of the Public Domain, emphasized the significance of this development, telling Variety: "This is a big one. It's generating so much excitement in the copyright community — it's finally happening."
For creators who have long been constrained by Disney's vigorous litigation to safeguard its copyrights, the availability of Mickey and Minnie Mouse in their original form is a monumental milestone.
Notably, Mickey and Minnie Mouse were initially slated to enter the public domain in 1984. However, the 1976 Copyright Act, passed by Congress, extended the terms of all such copyrights to 75 years, postponing the expiration of Steamboat Willie to 2004.
Subsequently, in 1998, Congress enacted the "Mickey Mouse Protection Act", extending copyright lifespans by an additional 20 years. This act - formally known as the 1998 Copyright Extension Act - was championed by Disney, the Motion Picture Association of America, and the George Gershwin estate, among others, seeking to safeguard their intellectual property.
Steamboat Willie, released in 1928, catapulted Mickey and Minnie Mouse into pop culture. It was one of the first cartoons to feature synchronized sound, hailed for its groundbreaking technological advances. It even featured Walt Disney himself as the voice of Mickey.
Critics of the time regarded the original Mickey Mouse as an amalgamation of Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and Fred Astaire, according to the Museum of Modern Art.
While the original versions of Mickey and Minnie Mouse will enter the public domain, later iterations of these cherished characters, who have graced numerous Disney films and TV shows, will remain under copyright protection.
Disney has also stressed to AP that Mickey Mouse will "continue to play a leading role as a global ambassador for the Walt Disney Company".
The year of 2024 will also witness other notable works entering the public domain, including Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence, Orlando by Virginia Woolf, The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie, and House at Pooh Corner - the book in which the energetic Tigger makes his first appearance - thus making the character fair use for the first time.
In recent years, the expiration of copyrights has paved the way for inventive projects like Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey - a horror film featuring the beloved bear, with a sequel in the works.
Netflix's Enola Holmes and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies have also capitalized on this trend of popular works entering the public domain - breathing what many consider to be a fresh life into old characters.
Mickey and Minnie Mouse now join a roster of characters used by Disney that have entered the public domain, including Peter Pan, Bambi, The Little Mermaid, Snow White, and Cinderella. These characters originally appeared in classic works by authors such as the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen before Disney reimagined their stories on the silver screen.
Time will only tell how the world's creative minds will capitalize on this monumental development. It all started with a mouse... and in 2024, it will continue like never before.
