Did you know that Disney won’t own Mickey Mouse soon?
Steamboat Willie ©Disney
Yep, it’s true! The copyright to Mickey is set to expire in 2024. The situation is a bit…complicated — but as things stand, other people will be able to use the representation of Steamboat Mickey without copyright ramifications. Now, one brand is looking to profit off of the Mouse in advance.
MSCHF is an art collective known for shocking products — like the new MSCHF x “Famous” Mouse Public Domain Mouse Collectible. This currently sold-out figurine is one of the first examples of a company taking advantage of the soon-to-be public domain status of Mickey Mouse.
©MSCHF
Basically, MSCHF is selling tokens that can be redeemed in 2024 for an unofficial collectible of Disney’s Mickey Mouse. If they were to release such a collectible now, Disney would be able to take legal action but the original designs of Mickey Mouse (as seen in Steamboat Willie) will be public in a few years when their copyright expires.
©MSCHF
This is not the first time that Mickey has been set to enter the public domain. In fact, Disney played a massive part in lobbying for the extension of copyright law to keep Mickey in their legal possession in the 1970s. However, this is unlikely to be possible again due to the spread of information on the internet; it’s a lot more difficult for lobbyists to go against these public domain protections.
©MSCHF
Those who purchase the MSCHF tokens, priced at $100, will get their “Famous” Mouse figurine when the copyright on Mickey expires, even if that expiration is extended past 2024.
©MSCHF
What the MSCHF project does NOT account for is the current trademark status of Mickey Mouse. Trademark rights do not expire like copyright, so it’s possible that Disney would attempt to take legal action on the grounds of trademark infringement, even after Mickey enters the public domain and legally belongs to everyone.
©MSCHF
This is certainly an interesting development and one we’ll be keeping an eye on as we get closer to Mickey entering the public domain. As always, stay tuned to DFB for the latest Disney updates!
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There is no coincidence that we’re seeing a resurgence of all these cute “vintage style” Mickey and Minnie’s everywhere. They’re bringing back the steamboat willie style for everything just to keep the image under their control, mark my words.