The earliest known version of Disney’s Mickey Mouse entered the public domain on Jan. 1, nearly 100 years after the iconic character first appeared in the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie. Under U.S.

The beginning of 2026 brought new copyrighted items entering the public domain, including multiple iconic Disney cartoons and ...

Nine Mickey Mouse cartoons, the Marx Brothers' film "Animal Crackers," and books by William Faulkner and Agatha Christie are ...

(CNN) — In just a few short days, an early version of Disney’s most iconic character will join the public domain for the first time. For nearly a century, the image of Mickey Mouse has been married to ...

Every year a new set of works enters the public domain and becomes free for people to creatively reuse, depending on the copyright laws of your area. The Public Domain Review, a nonprofit online ...

Mickey Mouse might seem the most unlikely character to ensnare viewers in a horror flick, but an expiration in copyright protection means an early version of the Disney mascot will stalk film screens.

One of the most beloved and recognizable cartoon characters in the world is set to enter the public domain next year. However, it's a bit more complicated. The first iteration of Mickey Mouse, the ...

M-I-C-K-E-Y will soon belong to you and me. With several asterisks, qualification and caveats, Mickey Mouse in his earliest form will be the leader of the band of characters, films, and books that ...

The first version of Disney’s Mickey Mouse, which appeared in the 1928 animated short Steamboat Willie, has lost its copyright protection. Disney is fiercely protective of its copyrights, recently ...

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ORLANDO, Fla. — Oh boy! It's time to celebrate Walt Disney's most iconic character, the one who started it all — Mickey Mouse! On Nov. 18, 1928, Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks released the Walt Disney ...