You may have noticed Mickey and Minnie Mouse popping up more than you’re used to—and not just in the usual places. Why? For 95 years, these famous characters have been under copyright. That means only creator Walt Disney (1901-1966) and his company could use them. But in January, the copyright for the cartoon they first appeared in expired. As a result, Mickey and Minnie are both now in the public domain, meaning people can freely use their images—on T-shirts, in video games, or even in new cartoons or movies.
Still, it’s complicated. People are allowed to use only the version of the characters from Steamboat Willie in 1928. The first cartoon with sound, it helped launch the Disney empire. Later versions of Mickey and Minnie—including how they appear today—are still protected by copyright law.
What’s the purpose of copyrights? The limits protect artists’ creations, but they expire so that everyone can eventually benefit from the work, say experts such as Jennifer Jenkins of Duke Law School in North Carolina. After all, many movies, novels, and songs that are popular today are based on older versions in the public domain (see "Other Works in the Public Domain," below).
“It’s important [to have] meaningful access to older works for inspiring future creativity,” Jenkins told The New York Times.