"Steamboat Willie" Enters Public Domain
Today, January 1, 2024, one of the most iconic animated shorts in American history officially entered the public domain. "Steamboat Willie", which was originally produced and released by Walt Disney Animation Studios on November 18, 1928, has entered the public domain after its 95 year copyright finally expired. The copyright expiration means that Disney no longer has the exclusive rights to the versions of Mickey and Minnie Mouse that appear in the short, although they will continue to hold the copyright to versions of Mickey and Minnie from shorts released after "Steamboat Willie". The entire "Steamboat Willie" short can be seen below. When will other Mickey Mouse animated shorts enter the public domain? Based on current U.S. copyright law, which states that a work enters the public domain on January 1st 95 years after a work is first released, the following Mickey Mouse animated shorts will enter the public domain in the following years