2023-12-27 22:54:02
PABLO PARDO
Correspondent
Washington D.C.
Updated Wednesday, December 27, 2023 – 21:54
The most famous and profitable mouse on the planet abandons the study where he was born after 95 years, one month and twelve days. At the moment, only the drawing that starred in the short ‘Steamboat Willie’ is free.
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On January 1, Mickey Mouse leaves the Disney house, after 95 years, one month and twelve days living under his roof, which is how long it has been since he was made known with the animated film Steamboat Willie. His girlfriend of 95 years, Minnie, his co-star in the film, also leaves. From now on, both are free, which is to say that they belong to everyone.
They are not the only drawings left to their creators. Tigger, Winnie’s companion from Pooh, also leaves the protection of the Disney family after 61 years to reunite with his friend, who achieved freedom two years ago. The point is, will Mickey, Winnie and Tigger follow the evil path of Winnie the Pooh, who, after achieving his freedom letter from Disney, starred in the horror film Winnie the Pooh, Blood and Honey?
The film of the friendly and gluttonous yellow bear did not please Disney, which, although it does not own the creature (which it bought in 1961, since Winnie the Pooh and his friends are not Americans, but British) it does maintain rights to image about him, just as he will continue to maintain those about Mickey, Daisy and Tigger. This means that, although you can do whatever you want with these characters, you have to be very careful not to put them in attitudes or activities that could generate the impression among consumers or the general public that Disney is involved in the work. Later versions of Mickey that have been trademarked by the company also cannot be used, suggesting that, at least for the time being, The only Mickey in the public domain will be the one from November 1928, when Steamboat Willie It was released after two failed attempts with Mickey – whom Disney was about to disgrace forever when he wanted to name him Mortimer Mouse – which were not distributed due to lack of public interest.
Inspired by The Jazz Singer, the film, which lasted just 7 minutes and 23 seconds, was not the first animated film with sound coordinated with the images. But his success was immediate. And from there was born an empire that, almost a century later, is the largest company in Hollywood, although currently Disney’s biggest problem, like that of all its competitors, is that they are not liquidated by the new expansionist gulfs (other production company characters). ), which, as in the original version, are also three, although they respond to the names of Amazon, Netflix, y Apple.
But, while Disney tries to save its future, Mickey leaves. This means that only the name and image from 96 years ago can be used freely, but little else. Otherwise, there is the risk of legal proceedings against a company worth $165 billion. (149,000 million euros, more or less as much as Inditex and Repsol combined). Disney already has enough problems with streaming and the governor of Florida and Republican candidate for the White House in 2024, Ron DeSantis, without tolerating being put in another situation for its most emblematic character.
Disney has fought tooth and nail to ensure that Disney stays in the Magic Kingdom where it was born in 1928 for all eternity. And there is no shortage of reasons for it. The most famous, most adorable mouse in the world, the most loved by all the children (and not so children) on the planet, has an estimated value of 178,000 million dollars (160,000 million euros). Its income generation capacity is 2,700 million euros annually, according to estimates by The Wall Street Journal, which, yes, also include Minnie, Pluto and Donald Duck.
Mickey’s popularity is gigantic, but the years do not pass in vain, not even for two-dimensional characters, and today the rodent’s main clientele are not children, but adults. When, a decade ago, Apple relaunched the brand of (huge) Beats headphones, which it had purchased for 2.7 billion euros, it used Mickey’s ears as an advertising claim, even though the audience the product was aimed at was clearly adults, and closer to hip-hop than to the traditional melodies of the first Disney.
For that reason, Disney has been stretching and stretching its Disney property. When the drawing appeared in Steamboat Willie, the creative company only had the right to retain it for 28 years. Legislative changes, first, and the tenacity of the Californian company’s lobbyists, later, have transformed that figure into almost a century. Disney’s greatest success came in 1998, when the United States Congress approved – and the then president, Bill Clinton, promptly ratified – the Intellectual Property Terms Extension Act – popularly known as the Ley from Mickey Mouse, that considerably stretched the control of creators over their works and, in the case of Mickey, did so by 20 years.
The United States has always been characterized by protecting intellectual property rights for much longer than most developed countries, whether in pharmaceutical patents or cultural products. For some, it is a consequence of that country’s respect for the concept of property in general; For others, a simple example of the power of large companies when it comes to forcing legislation that protects their creations.
Even with these limitations, this January 1, the film The Circus, by Charles Chaplin, the play The Threepenny Opera, by Bertolt Brecht, and the novel Orlando, by Virginia Woolf, are also free. They all come from controversial authors who have left their mark on the culture of the 21st century. But none of them comes even close to the sole of the shoe in cultural influence, evocative power and, also, economic reach to the mouse that speaks with a falsetto voice while piloting a characteristic Mississippi paddle boat while whistling the song Steamboat Bill. .
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