Roy Disney, vice president of Disney Studios and nephew of Walt Disney, stands in the middle of Mickey Mouse (right) and Minnie Mouse at the National Movie Theatre in London, September 1989, <> (AP)

Beginning on the first day of January, Disney loses the rights to Mickey Mouse, who has struggled for decades to retain exclusive ownership, and the character goes public, nearly 100 years after the character premiered in the 1928 animated film Steamboat Willie, Walt Disney's first short film.

Mickey Mouse is not just a cartoon character, but one of America's most iconic cultural icons, used in cultural propaganda to boost morale during wars, and a means of political propaganda for presidents.

According to the intellectual property law of Loyola University School of Law in Chicago, the copyright of this character was due to expire in 1984, but in the seventies, Disney succeeded in extending the term for another 20 years by pushing for a new law, known as the 1976 Copyright Act.

After 20 years and towards the end of the previous term, Disney pressed for an extension again, and the Copyright Act of 1998, known as the "Mickey Mouse Protection Act", is the copyright protection law that is in force until now, under which Disney's exclusive rights to the original character of Mickey Mouse expire on January 2024, <>.

Fans in New Mexico welcome Mickey Mouse on November 14, 1978 during the celebration of his fiftieth birthday (AP)

The Mickey Mouse we don't know

There are differences between Mickey Mouse in 1928 and the well-known and current Mickey, the old version of the famous cartoon character with long thin legs and oversized shoes, and small black and non-pupil eyes.

A Disney spokesman told CNN that the modern version of Mickey will not be affected by the expiration of copyright, and all related products, stories and movies are still the property of Disney, adding, "We will continue to protect our rights in the latest versions of Mickey Mouse and the rest of our famous characters against unauthorized use by the consumer."

It cannot be used even though the rights years have expired

Legally, anyone after January 2024, 2007, can reproduce a Mickey Mouse copy without the permission of Disney, which is known for its keen interest in copyright, and this has appeared several times, as Disney prevented construction workers from carving the bear "Winnie the Pooh" on the tombstone of a child in 250, and the company forced an elementary school in California to pay $ 2020 for an unauthorized screening of the movie The Lion King in 1989. In <>, Disney sued the Oscars for the unauthorized screening of Snow White.

Therefore, despite the expiration of Disney's rights, the use of the character of Mickey Mouse in any way that suggests that he belongs to any brand other than Disney, is still illegal.

Mickey Mouse was used as cultural propaganda to boost morale during wars and as a means of political propaganda for presidents (Reuters)

Mickey Mouse is neither the first nor the last

This is not the first time that a Disney character has entered the public domain, as Disney recently lost the rights to the character of the bear "Winnie the Pooh", and the yellow bear made his debut in a non-Disney film, "Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey", a British independent film classified as a horror film and featuring characters such as "Winnie the Pooh" and "Piglet" the little pink pig. And the lazy yellow bear appeared in this film with a terrifying killer character who seeks revenge.

Although the film was heavily criticized for turning a gentle and quiet character into a savage killer, it aroused the interest and curiosity of Disney fans and horror movie fans in the world, causing the film's revenues to rise to $ 5.2 million despite the film's budget of only $ 100,<>.

There is still a second part of the film that will be presented this year starring other Disney characters who have come out into the public domain, such as Bambi and Peter Pan, and "Winnie the Pooh" also appeared in 2023 in a video game known as "Winnie Hall", which is a two-dimensional game, in which players embody a virus that tries to control and overcome Winnie.

So far, Mickey Mouse hasn't experienced what the bear Winnie the Pooh has been exposed to, but no one knows what the New Year has in store for the little mouse.

Source : Websites