The crackdown on Mickey Mouse may be confusing as Mickey Mouse and ``Steamboat Willie'' have entered the public domain.



Steamboat Willie , known as the first public work in which Mickey Mouse appeared, entered the public domain on January 1, 2024 after repeated copyright protection period extensions. Therefore, although Mickey Mouse can be used freely as long as he appears in 'Steamboat Willie,' other Mickey Mouse works are still protected by copyright. There have been numerous reports of cases in which a user was using a file, but it was deleted due to copyright infringement.

Disney 'Cracks Down' on Mickey Mouse 'Steamboat Silly' Pirates * TorrentFreak
https://torrentfreak.com/disney-cracks-down-on-mickey-mouse-steamboat-silly-pirates-240128/



YouTube demonetizes public domain 'Steamboat Willie' video after copyright claim | Mashable
https://mashable.com/article/youtube-demontizes-public-domain-steamboat-willie-disney-copyright-claim

The Copyright Act, first enacted in the United States in 1970, initially stipulated the term of protection to be ``14 years,'' but this period was repeatedly extended to ``95 years.'' Mickey Mouse is said to be the reason why the protection period has been repeatedly extended, and the Copyright Extension Act of 1998 is called the ``Mickey Mouse Life Extension Act.'' However, ``Steamboat Willie'', which was released in 1928, and Mickey Mouse, the character who first appeared in the movie, have finally entered the public domain as of January 1, 2024, 95 years later, and can be freely reproduced and reproduced. It can now be shared and modified.

Mickey will be in the public domain in 2024, and what is the history of the 'triangular relationship' between Disney and copyright for about a century? -GIGAZINE


by Kansir

As soon as 2024 began, movies and games using Mickey Mouse and ``Steamboat Willie'' were released one after another. A game publisher called Nightmare Forge Games released a first-person horror game ' Infestation: Origins' (originally called 'Infestation 88') on Steam right after the new year, in which Mickey Mouse is the main enemy. In addition, a variety of content using Mickey Mouse that has become public domain has appeared, including the release of a trailer for the horror movie ' Mickey's Mouse Trap ,' which features a murderer wearing a Mickey Mouse mask.

MICKEY'S MOUSE TRAP FILM TEASER TRAILER (2024) - FIRST EVER MICKEY MOUSE HORROR FILM!!!! - YouTube


There are some things to keep in mind when using Mickey Mouse freely as a public domain item. First of all, Mickey Mouse was in the public domain only for the movie 'Steamboat Willie,' and the features of the eyes and nose, white gloves, etc. that were added as trademarks of Mickey Mouse in subsequent works were not used. you can't. Similarly, while Mickey Mouse can be freely modified, later versions of Mickey Mouse, such as Mickey the Wizard in 1940's Fantasia , remain protected by copyright. Masu.



Furthermore, there have been cases where copyright infringement has been claimed even when the content is in the public domain. Voice actor and YouTuber Brock Baker posted a movie on his YouTube channel that includes the entire movie ``Steamboat Willie'' with original comedic narration and sound effects. According to Baker, immediately after uploading the video, YouTube suspended its revenue and made it unwatchable in some areas.




It is thought that YouTube's content ID is the reason why Mr. Baker's movie violates copyright policy. YouTube assigns content IDs to uploaded videos, and if a newly uploaded video matches an existing content ID, a copyright infringement claim can be filed. Therefore, it is not compatible with the public domain, and it is possible that the movie containing the Steamboat Willie footage was judged to be in violation based on the content ID match. In addition, as a result of Mr. Baker's objection to YouTube's measures, the copyright infringement claim was withdrawn the next day.

Similar cases have also been reported on Reddit , an American bulletin board social news site. In response, Reddit users speculated, ``I don't think YouTube adapted their system immediately after it became public domain, so they are continuing with the previous response,'' and ``Steamboat Willie'' is now in the public domain. This is an American story; in most other countries, short-term rules of international law apply, and copyright protection may not have expired. Therefore, it may not be available for viewing in some countries.' There were also opinions that pointed out that.

Furthermore, in this case, the title of the movie includes ``Mickey Mouse'' and ``Minnie Mouse,'' which means that ``The character who appears in ``Steamboat Willie'' has no name yet.The name ``Mickey Mouse'' There is also the opinion that using ``may be in violation of copyright.''

In another case, according to TorrentFreak, a media outlet that disseminates news about copyright and pirated copies, there is a possibility that a copyright infringement claim is being made for ``Steamboat Silly'' instead of `` Steamboat Willie. '' thing. ``Steamboat Willie'' is a special short story of the animated series `` Mickey Mouse's Wonderful World. '' If Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse were watching ``Steamboat Willie'' A story in which a monochrome Mickey pops out. Since 'Steamboat Willie' is shown in the movie 'Steamboat Silly', it is thought that this may be confusing the automatic content recognition system such as Content ID.

Steamboat Silly | Official Trailer | Disney+ - YouTube


In bringing Steamboat Willie into the public domain, Disney said, ``We continue to protect our rights in more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and works that are subject to copyright, and we continue to protect our rights in more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that are subject to copyright. We will work to prevent consumer confusion caused by unauthorized use of characters.'

in Video, Posted by log1e_dh