Disney has fought to keep its copyright of the famous cartoon character as long as possible, lobbying the U.S. government to extend copyright protection before it was originally set to expire in 1984. Many lawmakers agreed, and in 1976 the law was changed to allow owners to retain copyright protections for the duration of the life of the author plus an additional 50 years. In 1998, Disney once again successfully lobbied along with other entertainment companies to extend copyright protections to life of the author plus 70 years for a maximum of 95 years.
But in January 2024, the copyright on Steamboat Willie officially expired, and Mickey Mouse is now officially in the public domain. This means that now anyone in the U.S. can use the Steamboat Willie version of the Mickey Mouse character without fear of copyright infringement. Copyright laws vary by country, so in some places Mickey remains protected. - TIME.COM
Since Mickey Mouse has officially entered the public domain - and it didn't take long for someone to turn him into a homicidal maniac. On Monday, we were treated to the first trailer for Mickey's Mouse Trap, a horror film where a killer in a Mickey mask preys on a group of young people trapped inside an arcade. The trailer was released just hours after the original 'Steamboat Willie' version of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain - in fact, footage from the original 1928 short appears in the trailer.
The same thing happened last year with Winnie the Pooh and the horror film Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey.
Mickey's Mouse Trap is expected to be released in March.
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