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Mickey Mouse’s debut in Steamboat Willie (1028) captured the hearts of audiences and, over the years, Disney carefully developed Mickey's image through various mediums, establishing his status in the company's brand identity (Puturi, 2019). However, on January 1st, 2024, Mickey Mouse’s visual look in Steamboat Willie entered the public domain having previously been under copyright protection for 95 years (Hook, 2024). Although, while the debut version of Mickey Mouse is now free to use, later versions are still protected. This event has led the 1928 character into a new era where the Steamboat Willie Mickey character has been changed in striking ways, as there has already been a release of a trailer for a horror film Mickey Mouse Trap (2024) (Nanji, 2024) and for the videogame Infestation 88, where a gritty looking Steamboat Willie version of Mickey is the enemy to beat in the game (Townsend, 2024).
Original drawing of Mickey Mouse's Steamboat Willie design by Ub Iwerks.
Disney has fiercely defended the copyright protections for its intellectual property and extended the copyright of Steamboat Willie design multiple times, most notably with the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998, which was largely influenced by Disney’s lobbying efforts (Lechner, 2023). In the past, Disney has also threatened lawsuits for slander in response to published essays and articles that challenged the validity of Mickey Mouse's original copyright protection (Lechner, 2023). Arguments for and against copyright extension include concerns about commercialisation, overuse, and creative reputation (Lechner, 2023). This event shows the complexities between copyright and fostering creativity, and raises questions about the representation of Mickey in the future and to what lengths Disney might go to protect the company’s beloved character.