An Early Version of Mickey Mouse enters the Public Domain
It's true! 🤗 An Early Version of Mickey Mouse enters the Public Domain. On this day in 1928, "Steamboat Willie," a cartoon featuring one of the first versions of Mickey Mouse, was released by the great Walt Disney. The cartoon figure is now in the public domain, and personally, I think he's adorable, but he doesn't look like the modern Mickey Mouse that everyone imagines when they hear that iconic name. Here's a fun little tidbit of valuable information that I was not aware of until today, US copyrights expire after 95 years, so this one expired in 2023. "Under U.S. law, a copyright can be held for 95 years before it becomes available for public use. Disney’s copyright protection on the Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse expired at midnight on Dec. 31." Mickey Mouse as Steamboat Willie enters the public domain To learn more about the United States copyright process and what an expired copyright actually means, read the following article at J...
