#only the STEAMBOAT WILLIE version will be public domain

[toonheartz]

so as you might know, mickey's entering the public domain on january 1st

what if we did something really silly to celebrate?

i know it's really short notice but we can continue to do it even after the date because well, he's gonna be public domain! so what if...we all made "mickeysonas" and posted them with the tag #mickeysona?

kinda like how people made spidersonas and linksonas and sorasonas but more absurd, something that makes people think...why though

a sona is basically a representation of yourself, so in this case you'd be drawing yourself as mickey! or...mickey as you? minnies are also welcome :]

ANOTHER silly idea i had was to coin a term, a "mickey mouse", meaning an iconic or flagship character. like mario is nintendo's mickey mouse and pikachu is pokemon's mickey mouse. what if we literally just. started calling our main oc our mickey mouse. so show off your story's mickey mouse with the tag #mymickeymouse! will it catch on? probably not. but it would be really funny.

if you want to do either or want to see others do it, consider spreading this around!!

#mickey mouse #epic mickey #public domain #toon #sona #idk much on copyright law but i dont think it prevents us from getting a little silly for non-monetary reasons #but if you are interested in actually using the mouse!! #some fun facts: #only the STEAMBOAT WILLIE version will be public domain #BUT! he's not too different anyway #his name is still mickey mouse and his pants were red in promotional material #he does NOT need the hat but he likely CANT have peach skin/modern eyes. and probably the white gloves #also you cant pretend to be affiliated with disney #also someone who knows more about trademark pls confirm if name tomfoolery is a go

[melonisopod]

Mickey Mouse (Rider) (Saberface) (Mousegirl)

#new year servant predictions let's GO #fgo #fate grand order #rider because steamboat willie is apparently the only public domain version of him

[rjalker]

[ID: A version of the yes/no meme format showing two screenshots of Mickey Mouse from the 1928 animation Steamboat Willie. For the "no" section, he looks at the ground dejectedly. For the "yes" example," he leaps into the air with joy. The no section reads, in quotation marks, "You can only use the version of Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willie!", followed by, in parentheses, "(Extremely misleading, making it seem like the Public Domain demands stagnation and kills creativity)". The yes section reads, in quotation marks, "You can redesign Mickey Mouse in any style or outfit you like as long as it's not a version still owned by Disney's copyright", followed by in parentheses, "(Actually explains the rule, lets people unleash their creativity.)". End ID.]

You can buy this design from my threadless store if you want to help a trans disabled artist pay rent AND spread correct info about the Public Domain at the same time :)

If you save this meme template to use, please also save the image description above as a word document or in a notes app! When you post your version of the meme, just edit the relevant sections :)

#Mickey Mouse #Public Domain #Public Domain characters #Mickey Mouse Merch #described images #described memes #accessible memes #no yes meme #yes no meme #Mickey Mouse meme

[describe-things]

Making this its own post to further spread the correct information.

The name Mickey Mouse is Public Domain.

Trademark is a separate thing from copyright. Trademark means you can't trick people into thinking your version of Mickey Mouse is sanctioned by Disney.

You do not need to rename Mickey Mouse to use this character.

He's literally named in the title card (along with two alternate outfits for him and Minnie that are also Public Domain, which means, yes! You can give him gloves!).

The only way the name "Mickey Mouse" would still be copyrighted would be if he hadn't been named yet in Steamboat Willie, which very clearly isn't the case, because his name is the largest thing on the title card:

[ID: A screenshot from the Web Archive’s video player showing the video paused at 00:04, showing the title card that reads:

“Disney Cartoons presents A Mickey Mouse sound cartoon: Steambie Willie, A Walt Disney comic by UB Iwerks, recorded by Cinephone system, copyright MCMXXVIII”.

On either side of the text are Mickey and Minnie, smiling at eachother. Mickey is holding up a hat in one hand, and a cane in the other with a wide grin of greeting. He has a white face, a buck tooth in his open mouth, white gloves, and light grey shoes and shorts, with the shorts having dark buttons and darker vertical stripes. Minnie has her hands clasped as she smiles at Mickey with lowered eyelids in a flirting pose. She has the same hat as mickey, with a flower stick behind it. She has two circles on her chest like a bra or bow, with a polkadot skirt with a wavy edge. She is wearing light grey heels. End ID.]

There is also a public domain poster with color, which means this design is also Public Domain. And again, this one also names him Mickey Mouse -- making the name Mickey Mouse Public Domain! And this alone would have made the name Public Domain even if he hadn't been named in Steamboat Willie! And, he again has gloves!

[ID: A color poster reading, "Celebrity Productions Inc. Present a Mickey Mouse Sound Cartoon. A Walt Disney comic drawn by UB Iwerks. The World's Funniest cartoon character, a sensation in sound and synchrony.". Mickey is drawn with one hand on his hip and the other in the air. He is wearing yellow gloves with a button in the center of the palm, red pants with white buttons, and large brown boots. He has a red blush on his nose and cheek. His tongue is red, and his black pupils have a white triangle on the side. The background is pale tan. End ID.]

There is also literally nothing stopping anyone from giving any of these characters new color designs with entirely new outfits. That's what the Public Domain is for. Don't think you can only use these characters in black and white, you just can't use versions that Disney still owns the copyright to.

#Mickey Mouse #described images #Public Domain

[penny-anna]

POINT OF CLARIFICATION: it's not true that only Steamboat Willie went public domain this year!

We also get Plane Crazy:

& The Gallopin' Gaucho:

however, only the original silent versions are public domain. The audio tracks are under copyright till next year. so yknow feel free to dub whatever audio you want over the top ig.

#mickey mouse #Youtube

[sweet-caress-of-twilight]

With Steamboat Willie being in the public domain and all this talk about what we can and can't do with its version of Mickey, it made me think about how a Paraguayan company actually trademarked Mickey.

Mickey SRL is a food seasoning manufacturer that uses Mickey Mouse as its mascot. And they are legally allowed to use Mickey as their mascot because they trademarked Mickey's side profile before Disney did. Disney only trademarked the front of Mickey's face beforehand. Oops!

#mickey mouse #mickey srl #paraguay #steamboat willie #public domain #copyright

[mousetrappedcomic]

Mousetrapped #2: "Nothing So Sweet"

The bikini top she wore in Steamboat Willie is still weird to me. Why not give her a shirt?

I should add, I drew a while back and was still getting a feel for the characters. So, I apologize for a weirdly lanky pair of mice.

In the last day, I've had a few people ask what I'm planning for this comic. Honestly? I just want to do a fun adventure comic. I am not interested in a hardcore, gritty, dark version of the characters - although I stand by my belief there was a dark tone to most early cartoons. Will there be dark moments? Yes. But I don't want to do what most people are doing and paint Mickey as a villain or have him go to "extreme" choices for the sake of, "Look, he's public domain now, I can have Mickey Mouse say and do shocking things."

Disney Comics were a huge part of my childhood reading. I still enjoy them greatly. So getting to work with, well, only a couple of the charaters is nice. And I want to just tell fun stories. Will there be some darker tones? At times. Some horror? Everything I do tends to at least dip into horror, but I'd want it to be stuff appropriate from the 1920s.

Plus, my kid watches me draw these and she really enjoys it, so I'm not going to draw anything that would upset her. But she's also a Halloween kid who absolutely loves spooky stuff, so take that how you will. -R.

#steamboat willie #webcomic #comic

[dimonds456]

MICKEY IS PUBLIC DOMAIN NOW!

Sources [1] [2] [3]

Image from KALW Public Media, linked [3].

Though Mickey Mouse himself is not yet in the public domain, the version we see from him in Steamboat Willie is. This is, to put it bluntly, HUGE.

Mickey has been in copyright for 95 years- well over the 75 typically granted. With this lift on this particular incarnation of the character, he is now able to be used by fans legally without Disney killing them in court.

If you DO use him, same as with Pooh from last year, you have to specify that you are using THIS version of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse (and also Pete was there too). This Mickey is a lot more of a scoundrel then we think of now, so make sure you're not making him too nice, lol.

But now, if you want to include Mickey in a fan game, a book, your own animated short, a comic, ect, and you wanted to make money off of it, NOW YOU LEGALLY CAN!!

YOU CAN: - Draw him - Sell merch of him - Animate him - Parody him - Build upon him - Write him

YOU CANNOT: - Name a building after him (trademark) - Name a comic after him (trademark) - Pretend to be sponsored by Disney (trademark/ownership) - General infringement on other Mickeys - Delude the trademark (like when people made a slasher movie of Winnie the Pooh, apparently??) [3]

Point is, THIS IS HUGE. Copyright usually only lasts 75 years, and Disney had managed to get an extra 20 years on Steamboat. Now that that's lifted, ANYONE can use Steamboat, it's characters, and it's ideas.

GO NUTS!

#mickey mouse #steamboat willie #public domain #minnie mouse #mickey and friends #dimond speaks

[jwcartoonist]

As per my tradition for Mickey's birthday, it's time for another tribute to a classic Mickey appearance, and there's no one quite more classic than his first released cartoon, Steamboat Willie. Not only does this year mark the short's 95th anniversary, but also the final year the short will be under copyright protection as next year the short, and the early version Mickey himself (along with Minnie and Pete) shall become public domain.

It's not just Disney lawyers worried about this massive change, long time mouse fans are worried about this too (I mean, after what's happened with Winnie-the-Pooh recently can you really blame us?). Obviously the more modern versions of Mickey are still under protection, but that won't stop a ton of content creators from trying to use the 1928 rendition of the mouse however they can (provided they can get around any trademarks Disney has placed) to produce stuff to cash-in on the shock value of Mickey doing non-Disney-approved things (again, see what happened to Pooh Bear).

Still, in the end, Mickey will still be okay overall. Disney isn't going to abandon their most popular character and face of the entire company (despite what many click-baity articles and Tiktoks would want you to believe), and even with the high amount of cheaply produced unauthorized Mickey projects on the way, there's bound to be at least a few diamonds in the rough that wish to pay proper tribute and respect towards the character.

The future of Mickey Mouse might seem a tad uncertain at the moment, but one thing I do know for sure is that no matter what, wether it be from Disney or somewhere else, there will always be a Mickey Mouse... And that's pretty damn cool.

Happy 95th Mickey. Here's to many more.

#Mickey Mouse #steamboat willie #HappyBirthdayMickeyMouse #Disney #Fanart #art #MickeyMouse #Minnie Mouse #Pete #Peg Leg Pete

[opencharacters]

Xuse me but If we wanted to use mickey mouse and oswald in a comic what should we exactly avoid? I know mickey's voice is still trademarked but i'm not sure about that being the case for oswald

Also is there anything we have to avoid in the designs themselfs exept obviously the face and body shape change?

I got so excited over hearing the news that mickey is public domain that i almost forgot his case looks extremly diffrent from others

you must have heard that question alot over this month but I would be very grateful over for an answear

this poster for steamboat willie is public domain, from 1928 so like, you can have him wear gloves and wear red shorts. just dont make him too much like the current version of mickey. also mickey mouse is still trademark so dont advertise it under that name, like dont put mickey mouse in the title.

oswald the lucky rabbit is trademarked, just call him Oswald but otherwise just look up other peoples drawing of oswald or public ozwald as he is often called.

all of this is only if you intend to monetize it, otherwise it falls under fair use

hope this helps

#mickey mouse #oswald

[meow-moment]

Now that the earliest form of Mickey Mouse is in the public domain, I would like to issue a plea, a call to action to anyone who plans on using him in their works.

Mickey today is a cultural icon, the lovable mascot of a corporation that presents itself as the family-friendliest there is. He's fun-loving, adventurous, he loves his friends, for all intents and purposes he can do no wrong.

This is a far cry from Disney's earlier works depicting the character. In Steamboat Willie, Plane Crazy, and The Gallopin' Gaucho (the three Mickey Mouse cartoons in the public domain as of 2024,) Mickey is a much less admirable character. He smokes, drinks, engages in reckless driving, tries to force himself on Minnie, and seems to have an insatiable penchant for animal abuse.

It's known that modern iterations of the character are still owned by the Disney corporation, and that only the original version of the character is in the Public Domain. I ask that we use the personality on display in the original cartoons to completely destroy the reputation of the character of Mickey Mouse, characterize him as a drunkard, a womanizer and a jackass, wipe his good standing off the map. We need to cancel this rat.

[honoka-marierose]

About a decade ago, Zack Snyder developed a storyline for the DC Extended Universe that involved Bruce Wayne impregnating Lois Lane.

The subplot in which Batman cuckolds Superman was poised to unfold in “Justice League,” with Batman dying in the sequel and Lois raising their spawn with Superman. Snyder’s vision for Wonder Woman was equally unorthodox, with visuals featuring a superheroine who brandished the decapitated heads of her conquered enemies like an ISIS jihadi.

Warner Bros. and DC Studios — which hold a firm grip on their intellectual property — rejected Snyder’s ideas, which were deemed “super creepy,” according to a source familiar with the back and forth. (DC declined to comment for this story. A representative for Snyder did not respond to a request for comment.) But in the next decade, artists and rival studios won’t need permission to create their own take on the characters.

A sad fact of Hollywood is that while superheroes never truly die, all copyrights do. On Jan. 1, Disney lost control of “Steamboat Willie,” and within 24 hours two horror-comedies starring Mickey Mouse were announced. The DC characters are the next major expirations looming on the horizon. Superman and Lois Lane will enter the public domain in 2034, followed by Batman in 2035, the Joker in 2036 and Wonder Woman in 2037.

Chris Sims, a comic book author and Batman expert, expects a flood of unauthorized Batman comics to hit the stands as soon as the copyright expires.

“There’s going to be 100 of them,” he says. “They’re going to have them ready to go.” Movie producers will also be able to make their own versions — much as they already do with public domain characters like Dracula and Robin Hood — though in the beginning they will have to stick to the original versions of the characters.

“You get Batman, but you don’t get Robin,” Sims says. “You get Superman, but you don’t get kryptonite.”

The initial Superman could only leap — not fly. “Those characteristics are going to fall into the public domain one by one,” says Amanda Schreyer, media and entertainment lawyer at Morse.

DC has been preparing for this for years. At a press event in 2023, CEO James Gunn noted that the next Superman film will introduce characters from “The Authority,” a comic series that launched in 1999, in part because the Superman copyright is about to expire.

Jay Kogan, DC’s deputy general counsel, laid out a strategy to protect characters that fall into the public domain in a 2001 article. Since only the older versions lose protection, he urged: “Keep ’em fresh and up-to-date.”

“By gradually changing the literary and visual characteristics of a character over time, a character owner can keep whatever the then-current image of the character is as the de facto standard in the public consciousness,” he wrote.

The company has done a good job of updating Superman, argues Steven Beer, an IP lawyer at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith.

“The public’s perception is the contemporary Superman. It’s distinctive,” he says. “That gives them a lot of protection.”

Another tactic: Maintain a high level of quality control.

“The public should be conditioned to view any works from unrelated parties featuring a trademark owner’s characters as second-rate knockoffs,” Kogan wrote.

Kogan also suggested that trademarks could be used to block the use of a character’s name, image and slogan even after the copyright expires.

But trademark is not a cloak of immunity, argues Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain. “That only prevents uses that are likely to cause consumer confusion about source or sponsorship,” she says.

In other words, the characters’ names should be fair game, so long as it’s clear that the depiction is not coming from DC.

“You could still create a Superman horror movie or Batman horror movie,” says Jonathan Steinsapir, an IP attorney at KHIKS. “You just need to be careful about how you advertise it and how you use images of Superman in a branding sense.”

DC has done a careful job of tying the characters to itself by trademarking the terms “Man of Steel” and “Caped Crusader,” as well as Superman’s “S” and Batman’s logo.

“The bat symbol is a very strong mark,” Schreyer says. “That is going to limit what subsequent creators can do.”

Even so, expect the mid-2030s to see a glut of off-brand superhero content.

“People will make a run at these characters because there’s money to be made,” says Mark Waid, a comic book author and historian best known for his work on DC Comics titles like “Superman: Birthright.” “Or how about Superman versus Godzilla. It’s a gray area. But this town works on the speed of capitalism, right? That’s how we work.”

Sims believes more superhero comics will be a good thing. But the idea that there will be a Superman renaissance is oversold, he says.

“It’s gonna come down to execution,” Sims says. “There’s one company that’s used to doing it.”

Steinsapir says nothing would keep Snyder from making a non-Warners film featuring the DC troika.

“Zack Snyder could reshoot it and make his own new iteration of it,” he says. “You just need to be careful. For example, he definitely couldn’t call it ‘Justice League.’”

#dc #dc comics #detective comics #superman #batman #wonder woman #warner bros #dc studios #zack snyder #dcu #dc universe #dc batman #dc superman #dc wonder woman

[rjalker]

I feel like a whole lot of people only learned the words "public domain" yesterday because there is a shit ton of misinformation and fearmongering being spread about Mickey Mouse now that he's public domain. And the only people being helped by this are Disney executives.

Yes, you can call him Mickey Mouse. The name Mickey Mouse is now Public Domain. He's literally named in the title card for Steamboat Willie and the other animations and promotional posters that are Public Domain.

Yes, you can give him gloves. There are multiple Public Domain versions of him wearing gloves.

Yes, you can draw him in color. First of all, there are Public Domain versions of him drawn in color. Second of all, the entire point of the Public Domain is that you are free to transform and update the subject. That means you can give Mickey Mouse any outfit or combinations of outfits you want as long as the ones you use aren't already copyrighted by Disney.

And more but my laptop is overheating. Feel free to add on more corrections to misinformation being spread.

Edit to add:

Yes, you can have him talk! Just because The versions in Steamboat Willie, The Galloping Gaucho and Plane Crazy don't talk doesn't mean that Disney is the only one allowed to make him talk. That's not how the public domain works. It just means you have to create your own voice for him.

Edit again to add:

Yes, you can sell art of him. Yes, you can put him on a shirt and sell it. Yes, you can sell paintings of him. As long as you are not using a design still protected by Disney's copyright, and are not deceiving people into thinking it's official Disney merch, you can sell it! That's the whole point of the Public Domain!

And no, people, for Pete's sake. It is not and never has been illegal to draw modern Mickey Mouse. That's fair use. You can draw anything you want. Copyright stops you from selling things. You have always been allowed to draw any Mickey Mouse you want. Disney will not appear out of thin air and arrest you and your family because you have "pie slices on the pupil". That is literally not how any of this works, especially not how the Public Domain works!

#Public Domain #Mickey Mouse #public domain characters

[ducktoonsfanart]

Mickey and Minnie Mouse with their kids (their nephews and nieces) - Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas - Mouseverse - Gift for my friend

I know the Christmas holidays are long gone, but I did this last month on Deviantart, for a friend of mine who was celebrating her birthday then, so I'm posting it here too, even though it's over. Sorry!

I drew Mickey and Minnie Mouse based on Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas movie where they really looked like a loving couple. Still, it's nothing without children, so I added Mickey's nephews Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse (Morty is in a red hoodie jacket, while Ferdie is in a blue hoodie jacket) as well as Minnie's nieces Millie and Melody (Millie is in a purple outfit, while Melody is in some green - blue clothes). Yes, Milie and Melody appeared in Minnie's Bow Toons (although I personally don't like such baby series, it's still good that Minnie got her nieces, otherwise she has them, but only one in the comics), while Morty and Ferdie appeared in the classic shorts and in comics, though not as often. I wish somehow they appeared a little more often with Mickey and Minnie Mouse and more people knew about the Mickey Mouse comics where he has more personality than he does in the cartoons. Especially since Steamboat Willie came out as public domain.

Of course, I drew in my own ways, using inspiration from other drawings. Yes, and I drew both Mickey's nephews and Minnie's nieces as preteens and based on the comics, as if they were wearing a modern version of the clothes.  This year is also the 25th anniversary of Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas and the 90th anniversary of the first animated appearance of Morty and Ferdie in the classic short "Mickey's Steam-Roller", although they first appeared in the 1932 comic "Mickey's Nephews". Once again, I wish you a late Christmas and a happy New Year 2024! And this is a belated gift for my friend, @harmony-bunny , whom I dedicated to her as a gift since she is a big fan of this couple.

I hope you like this gift of mine, and that you like this drawing too.

Happy Holidays and Happy Belated Valentine's Day! Feel free to like and reblog this if you like it!

#my fanart #mickey mouse #minnie mouse #valentine's day #mickey's once upon a christmas #christmas #mouseverse #morty and ferdie #morty and ferdie fieldmouse #mickey mouse cartoons #gift for my friend #millie and melody #millie and melody mouse #mickey x minnie #otp #love couple #disney mice #disney mouseverse #cartoons #disney cartoons #mouse family #holidays #mickey's nephews #minnie's nieces #fanart #my style

[mickeymouseispublicdomain]

download the free font here. Here's a blank template for the meme.

[ID: An edited version of the title card for Steamboat Willie, with Mickey and Minnie on either side in greyscale, and "A Mickey Mouse sound cartoon" still at the top, but the center blank black-grey as a meme template. End ID.]

And to the memes we go.

Buy the design below here.

[ID: The same image as above, now with text in the center that reads, in title case, "Stop fucking lying about the most basic fucking facts about the public domain you corporate stooges". End ID.]

Buy the design below here.

[ID: The same image again, now reading, "Stop fearmongering on Disney's behalf: you're not even getting paid for it!". End ID.]

Buy the design below here

[ID: The same image again, now reading, "If you only first heard the words 'Public Domain' on January 1st 2024, you probably should shut the fuck up about what you 'cannot' do with Mickey Mouse because you clearly have no idea what you're talking about and have swallowed the corporate propaganda hook, line, and sinker, and are now happily playing the part of a corporate stooge!". End ID.]

Buy the design below here

[ID: The same image again, now reading, in all caps this time, "Mickey Mouse is Public Domain and there's nothing Disney can do about it". End ID.]

Buy the design below here

[ID: The same image again, now reading, again in all caps, "Disney did not 'allow' Mickey to become Public Domain. Those corporate hacks had no choice in the matter. Stop doing free PR for them you corporate bootlickers". End ID.]

#described images #art #memes #merch #Mickey Mouse #Public domain #corporate bootlicking #corporate fearmongering #corporate propaganda #corporate stoogery #the public domain in use #misinformation correction #Minnie Mouse

[alotoforanges]

A lot of people are under the impression that Steamboat Willie is the only version of Mickey Mouse in the public domain. But there was artwork released the same year that depicted him in a more familiar manner: with his iconic red shorts, gloves, and the stigmata that miraculously manifested on his hand while receiving communion and mark his ecstatic dedication to Jesus Christ.

#mickey mouse #public domain #steamboat willie