Every year, a new crop of copyrighted work and intellectual property becomes public domain, allowing it to be used by anyone. But even more than usual, this year's participants include some of history's most famous characters, including none other than Mickey Mouse. Of a little Mickey If he enters the public domain, Disney will lose only a little of its all-important image control, but it's only the earliest version of its mouse-like mascot that becomes fair game.
According to the somewhat strange copyright laws of the United States, works first released in 1928 will enter the public domain this year. Here are the highlights of this year's public domain course, plus a few more intriguing additions:
Mickey and Minnie Mouse
Disney's mascot finally enters the public domain with the 76th anniversary of steamer Willie, the first appearances of Mickey and Minnie. After decades of copyright expansion legislation (which Disney itself had lobbied for), the copyright on the first appearance of Mickey Mouse finally expires in 2024, meaning anyone can use that specific Mickey in their creative work.
But while the copyright expiration is big news, it doesn't give the public a free hand. The version of the character that enters the public domain is only that of steamer Willie. What exactly that version of the character entails versus a more modern version is a matter that will be left for Disney's lawyers and the courts to decide.
Tigger
Although Winnie the Pooh entered the public domain a few years ago, not all of his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood are fair game yet. But now that The house on the Pooh corner (which honestly already sounds like a horror title) enters the public domain, as does Tigger, the most famous character it introduces.
Among the notable but somewhat lesser-known works that will enter the public domain in the United States in 2024 are quite a few films and books; here is just a small selection.
- The Passion of Joan of Arcdirected by Carl Theodor Dreyer
- Dark princess by WEB Du Bois
- Lady Chatterley's lover by D. H. Lawrence
- Orlando: a biography by Virginia Woolf