Disney's earliest Mickey and Minnie Mouse enter public domain as US copyright expires - BBC News

Disney's copyright on the earliest version of the cartoon characters expires in the US on 1 January.

9 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, DisneyImage caption, A picture of Mickey Mouse in the 1928 short film Steamboat WillieBy Noor NanjiCulture reporterIt was the animation that launched the House of Mouse.

Steamboat Willie, a 1928 short film featuring early non-speaking versions of Mickey and Minnie, is widely seen as the moment that transformed Disney's fortunes and made cinema history.

Their images are now available to the public in the US, after Disney's copyright expired.

It means creatives like cartoonists can now rework and use the earliest versions of Mickey and Minnie.

In fact, anyone can use those versions without permission or cost.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-67833411?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA

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