2024-01-02 17:54:46
This January 2024 is very particular for Disney, the great entertainment emporium that became strong from a character: Mickey Mouse. The sketch of the friendly mouse that served as the spearhead for the company and that is seen in the first short in which it appears was now “released”: according to United States law, it entered the public domain from the first day of this year.
Quick of reflexes, the video game producer Nightmare Forge Games announced the making of Infestation 88, which could also soon become a movie. The launch was through a teaser that is quite disturbing.
Read also: A forgotten short film published eight decades later: the story of the film that anticipated Disney
The shadow of Mickey Mouse emerged in the short “Steamboat Willie.” (Photo: YouTube screenshot)
In the images that were released, several soldiers wearing yellow clothing enter the place where a strange virus spread that infected different animals with an extravagant virus. One of them is a gigantic mouse, with the physical characteristics of the first Mickey, who cannot control his murderous impulses.
At the beginning of the Infestation 88 preview clip a legend appears that clarifies how works “that are now in the public domain” were inspired to construct the main character.
The image of Mickey Mouse emerged in the short “Steamboat Willie” with his murderous profile. (Photo: YouTube screenshot)
“This independent creation was not authorized, sponsored or endorsed by any original author of said works. All content in this game is used under appropriate public domain guidelines and is not affiliated with, related to, or endorsed by any existing intellectual property or trademark holder,” the creators summarized.
How the first Mickey Mouse short ended up in the public domain
In the United States, the created works become public domain, that is, anyone can use characteristics of those characters or their forms, after a certain time.
The Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998 gave those published between 1923 and 1977 a term that expires on January 1 after the end of the 95th year of their creation. Steamboat Willie’s Mickey’s exclusivity expired this Monday.
According to The Hill, once they enter this state, works can be legally shared, interpreted, reused, or displayed without requiring permission or having to pay money for doing so.
In the case of Mickey Mouse, what has been free since January 1 is the format in which the mouse was seen in the more than seven-minute short Steamboat Willie, but not his brand or its later versions.
The first Mickey Mouse in Disney history. (Photo: YouTube screenshot)
For many years, the company tried under any circumstances to delay the date on which the power over its animation was going to expire. The rights were expanded, precisely in 1998, with the law signed that year and cited above, which extended the domain for more years.
There is a huge difference between a work that enters the public domain and a registered trademark. According to the definition of the United States Patent and Trademark Office cited by Deadline, a trademark is “a word, phrase, design, or combination that identifies your goods or services, distinguishes them from the goods or services of others, and indicates the source of your goods or services.” On the other hand, copyright for a work may expire.
The animation was the first that Walt Disney did alone, together with his friend (and later enemy) Ub Iwerks, outside of the big studios for which they had been working. Steamboat Willie has a different Mickey than he was later: he doesn’t have gloves, he is skinnier, his eyes are different, he doesn’t speak, he has longer arms and he doesn’t have a t-shirt or shirt either.
The story of the first Mickey Mouse short
The short shows Mickey as a sailor who has the mission of moving things from one port to another, but who only likes to dance and whistle the melody of a well-known song. When he meets Minnie, he will try to surprise her in the clumsiest ways possible.
“When Mickey first appeared on Steamboat Willie, he was a game changer. It was one of the first sound cartoons, in which Walt himself provided Mickey’s sounds. What set him apart was his emotional storytelling,” Joe Wos, cartoon historian and PBS host, told The Washington Post.
The closing of the short “Steamboat Willie”. (Photo: YouTube screenshot)
The 1928 work has a double inspiration. On the one hand, its name is linked to the melody that Mickey whistles all the time, a song called “Steamboat Bill”, from 1910, composed by the vaudeville group The Leighton Brothers.
At the same time, the creators of the mouse also had a very close inspiration to the film The River Hero (in English, precisely, Steamboat Bill Jr.) by Buster Keaton, one of the great silent film actors and creator of the slapstick resource. or physical comedy of the time.
The director had released the film that same year, without much success, although leaving some pearls for the genre, with falls from a height, improbable acrobatics and risky acts even for stunt doubles. The short is remarkably similar in spirit to Keaton’s feature film, as well as having an identical name.
Disney does not rest in its legal battle to slow the advancement of the public domain in other films, animations or series. In a statement issued to The Washington Post through its legal team, the company made clear what it will do from now on.
Read also: The 95 years of Mickey Mouse: the eternal suspicion about the origin of the most famous character in the world
“We will continue to protect our rights in more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright. “We will work to protect against confusion caused by unauthorized uses of Mickey and other iconic characters,” they warned. Despite any complaints, Steamboat Willie, starting this week, can be used to create other content.
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