Mickey Mouse Loses Copyright Protection in 2024

2024 is already shaping up to be a banner year! Mickey Mouse, Tigger, and Peter Pan all entered the public domain on January 1st.

But what does this mean for artists and creators?

More importantly, what does it mean for Mickey Mouse fans?

On January 1st, 2024, thousands of copyrighted works first published in 1928 entered the public domain after their 95-year term expired. When works of art enter the public domain, creatives (authors, artists, playwrights, and more) can remake those stories without permission.

Does this mean that any person can now make a movie featuring Mickey Mouse?

Not quite.

Only one version of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain: the Mickey prototype featured in the 1928 animated classic Steamboat Willie. According to Duke Law School, Disney only owns the newly added material in subsequent works, not the underlying material from 1928. This means that Mickey and Minnie 1.0 are now up for grabs. However, other versions of Mickey and Minnie are strictly off-limits…for now.

Other characters who entered the public domain this year are Winnie the Pooh, Sherlock Holmes, Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, Snow White, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Robin Hood. Next year, a certain spinach-eating sailor with super strength will join their ranks.

So, if you’re a creative soul (or merely a fan of Mickey Mouse or any other characters I mentioned above), you’re in for a treat! You can write a story about the 1928 version of Mickey Mouse without Disney waving legal documents in your face. Happy 2024!

^{*For a full list of all the works that entered the public domain in 2024, click here!}

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