Sunday 3 July 2022 09:51 PM Mickey Mouse could soon leave Disney as 95-year copyright expiry nears trends now
Disney could soon lose exclusive rights to its most iconic cartoon character as Mickey Mouse's 95-year copyright is set to expire in two years.
Mickey will become available for the public domain in 2024 under U.S. copyright law that states intellectual property on artistic work expires 95 years after first publication.
Mickey Mouse first appeared in the 1920s and has become both the symbol for media conglomerate Disney and one of the most recognizable animated characters.
When he first appeared in 1928, Disney's copyright was protected for 56 years but as the beloved cartoon character approached the end of its copyright, Disney successfully lobbied for the Copyright Act of 1976 which extended protections to 75 years.
And then in 1998, Disney lobbied for a further extension, giving it protection for 95 years.
It is unclear whether the entertainment giant plans to make another move before 2023 to prevent Mickey from being moved into the public domain. DailyMail.com has reached out for comment.
Disney could soon lose exclusive rights to its most iconic cartoon character as Mickey Mouse's 95-year copyright is set to expire in two years. Mickey Mouse is pictured with Walt Disney in 1928
Mickey will become available for the public domain in 2024, following U.S. copyright laws that state intellectual property on artistic work expires at the 95-year mark
A room in the exhibition, called Sorcerer’s Way, features the classic 1940 film 'Fantasia,' and a still from the film is pictured above. In the feature-length movie, which is set to classical music, Mickey plays while the sorcerer is away
Once the copyright expires, anyone wishing to use characters or concepts from everyone's favorite rodent will not have to request permission or pay copyright charges.
This means creatives could make Mickey the center of non-Disney stories.
The character could follow in the footsteps of Winnie the Pooh which recently entered the public domain after its copyright expired in January.
Since then, the children's character has been portrayed as a serial killer in horror movie Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Horror.
Associate Director of the Film Legal Clinic at UCLA School of Law Daniel Mayeda told The Guardian that people will be allowed to develop new storylines for Mickey, but could still face copyright claims if they are too similar to Disney's original.
'You can use the Mickey Mouse character as it was originally created to create your own Mickey Mouse stories or stories with this character,' Mayeda told the outlet.
