Classic characters' copyright expires
If you're the creative type and struggling for your next idea, do not fear: some big works, including the original version of Mickey Mouse, entered the public domain Monday in the United States.
And if, on the other hand, you prefer your Disney characters to be cute, cuddly and never-changing, well, ... you might want to stop reading.
In 2024, thousands of copyrighted works published in 1928 entered the public domain, after their 95-year term expired.
This means thecharacters and stories can be remade on the page, stage or screen without permission.
“It's important for the preservation of our cultural record, for meaningful access to older works for inspiring future creativity,” said Jennifer Jenkins, director for the Center for the Study of the Public Domain at Duke Law School.
The creme de la creme of this year's public domain class are Mickey Mouse and, of course, Minnie, or at least blackand-white versions of our favorite squeaky rodents that appeared in “Steamboat Willie.” The Walt Disney Co. is famously litigious, and this copyright only covers the original versions of the character.
Tigger was also liberated Monday and could be reunited with Winnie-the-Pooh in the reborn character's next slasher film. Yes, you read that right. In a preview of what could be awaiting other 95-yearold icons, the silly old bear became a sledgehammer-wielding monster in “Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey.” The sequel is slated for February.
Musical compositions, like the original version of “Mack the Knife,” which was written in German for an opera by Bertolt Brecht called “The Threepenny Opera,” and musical recordings, including “Dippermouth Blues,” featuring Louis Armstrong, were also freed Monday.
And if that still isn't enough, just wait. Over the next decade, freedom awaits all of these characters: Popeye; Pluto; Donald Duck; King Kong (the original film version); Superman; Daffy Duck; Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf and others from the Hobbit; James Bond; Batman; and Captain Marvel.