The original design of Mickey Mouse from the 1928 animated short Steamboat Willie officially entered the public domain on January 1, triggering a flood of parodies and memes. Not to mention, a handful ...

Disney’s 1928 animated short Steamboat Willie will enter the public domain in 2024, meaning that the company is going to lose its copyright protection to the earliest iteration of Micky Mouse himself.

The copyright on Mickey Mouse expires today, meaning The Walt Disney Company no longer has the exclusive rights to the character. Does this mean you can put Mickey in your own cartoon? Not exactly.

Gordon was a reporter for TIME, based in the London bureau. Gordon was a reporter for TIME, based in the London bureau. When Walt Disney first released the cartoon short film Steamboat Willie in ...

Some versions of Mickey are still under copyright protection. Here’s the lowdown on what’s fair game and what isn’t. Technically, later versions of Mickey are still under copyright, but you have some ...