When you hear The Mickey Mouse Protection act, you
are probably thinking about how to keep the mouse’s tail out from under the heavy boots of the Florida State Governor. But the Law that is informally called the Mickey
Mouse Protection Act of 1995 extended copyright protection for an additional 20
years, giving Disney until November 2024 before the first copyrights on Mickey Mouse
begin to roll off copyright protection.
This means that by Christmas of 2024 you can
start to borrow and modify aspects of Steamboat Willie’s 1928 movie including
the world-famous Mickey Mouse figure. HOWEVER, step softly around the mouse
because Disney does have dozens of trademarks, so what comes into public domain
on the one four-fingered hand, might still have intellectual property
protection on the other.
