Almost a century later, the Mickey Mouse upcoming expiration of “Willie’s” copyright exemplifies one of the notable IP protection issues the film industry faces. Yet the inevitability of copyright expiration is just one of many compelling IP stories that can be told – with trademarking, licensing, brand valuation and more playing crucial parts in how we make, monetize and enjoy film.

1. Almost a century later, the Mickey Mouse upcoming expiration of “Willie’s”
copyright exemplifies one of the notable IP protection issues the film industry
faces. Yet the inevitability of copyright expiration is just one of many
compelling IP stories that can be told – with trademarking, licensing, brand
valuation and more playing crucial parts in how we make, monetize and enjoy
film.
Disney Mickey Baseball Jersey – full steam ahead to public domain?
Back in the late 1920s, copyright law in the United States offered little
protection compared to today’s statutes: It only allowed for a maximum term
of 42 years(28 to start, with the possibility to renew for an additional 14). Over
the decades, this has been extended, most notably by the Copyright Term

2. Extension Act of 1998. This new act, for which the Walt Disney Co. directly
lobbied, ensured protection for works for hire and anonymous and pseudo-
anonymous works that lasted for 120 years after creation or 95 years after
first publication, whichever is earlier.
>>>Read More: Abigail Disney Rats Out Mickey Mouse
Time’s inexorable march means the “Steamboat”-era Mickey will still become
public domain in October 2024, despite the 1998 extension. But copyright law
is highly complex, and specificity holds a great deal of weight. The oldest
depictions of the Mickey Mouse character will be available for other creators
to distribute – but only those particular cartoons. Mickey Mouse’s 1920s
appearance is a registered trademark of the Disney corporation, and actively
used trademarks do not expire so long as renewalpaymentsare made. Thus,
if someone uses the image of Mickey Mouse taken from the public-domain
content in a way that clashes with Disney’s numerous registered trademarks,
they could quickly find themselvesat odds with the conglomerate’s legal
department.
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The 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act was highly controversial, with many
labeling it as nothing more than a “Mickey Mouse Protection Act.” Critics of
the prolongation argue that it stifles creativity and innovation, while

3. proponents counter that longer-lasting creators’ rights allow them to profit
fairly from their works.
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7. In other words, the name and appearance of “Steamboat”-era Mickey Mouse
can be used only by Disney to indicate the origin of goods and services. Even
though anyone will be able to modify, reproduce and distribute the oldest
Mickey Mouse cartoons as their copyrights expire, creators will not be at
liberty to generate new material using the trademarked elementsof the
character owned by Disney. And, decisively, Disney maintains trademarks for
Mickey’s various incarnations and iterative designs over the years.

8. It is very likely Disney will take an aggressive stance in the first few years of
public-domain status in order to assert its trademark rights and establish a
favorable precedent.
“Batgirl” vanishes into the night
Disney knows precisely which characters it wants to use and how to use
them. By contrast, Warner Bros. Discovery seemsto be having a serious
identity crisis with the DC Comics characters for which it holds IP rights.
Despite box-office successes with films centered on characters both well-
known (“Wonder Woman,” “The Batman”) and obscure (“Shazam”), Warner
Bros. Discovery has made some decisions of late that have had industry
professionals, media and fans scratching their heads. One recent example of
this was the media conglomerate’s sudden decision to shelve its finished
“Batgirl” movie completely – to get some of the film’s purported $70 million
USD budget back as a tax write-off. Some industry sources claimed the movie
was canceled due to poor test screenings, but others alleged the outcome
was not quality-related at all and only stemmed from Warner’s bottom-line
financial concerns. Nevertheless, it would appear the move is part of a wider
corporate course correction to steer the production company away from
simultaneous releases of medium-to-large-budgeted films in cinemas and on
streaming services.
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