The earliest known version of Disney’s Mickey Mouse entered the public domain on Jan. 1, nearly 100 years after the iconic character first appeared in the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie. Under U.S.

The 1928 short 'Steamboat Willie,' featuring both Mickey and Minnie Mouse, will become public domain in 2024. By The Associated Press M-I-C-K-E-Y will soon belong to you and me. With several asterisks ...

The first version of Disney’s Mickey Mouse, which appeared in the 1928 animated short Steamboat Willie, has lost its copyright protection. Disney is fiercely protective of its copyrights, recently ...

Mickey Mouse might seem the most unlikely character to ensnare viewers in a horror flick, but an expiration in copyright protection means an early version of the Disney mascot will stalk film screens.

When Walt Disney first released the cartoon short film Steamboat Willie in November 1928, it was groundbreaking. It was one of the cartoons to use synchronized sound, and would go on to become one of ...