![]() ![]() ![]() The company’s efforts were successful, and 19 additional years were added. In the years leading up to 1984, Disney poured millions of dollars lobbying Congress to change copyright laws. Based on copyright laws at the time, the mouse should have entered the public domain in 1984.īut Mickey Mouse was Disney’s bread and butter, and the company wasn’t willing to give up the rights so easily. Mickey Mouse first appeared in 1928’s Steamboat Willie, which would go on to define animation for a generation. Ironically enough, the driving force behind this change is a company that benefited immensely from these laws, which makes it tricky to answer a question like, “What is considered public domain?” How Mickey Changed the Game Disney and the public domain However, the public domain laws has changed even more over the years. This meant that a creator could retain the rights to their work for a total of 56 years before it entered the public domain. Creators were given the option to renew at the 28-year mark for an additional 28 years. In 1909, the law changed to give creators greater flexibility in controlling their works. ![]()
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