According to reports from many British media, the copyright protection period of the American Disney Company's iconic animated characters Mickey Mouse is about to expire. Disney may soon lose exclusive rights to the 95-year-old image. As soon as the news about
came out, related topics rushed to the hot search list.
Walt Disney, the founder of the American Disney Company, created the animated character "Mickey Mouse" in 1928 and made his debut in the "Steamboat Willie" movie in the same year.
Mickey Mouse has long been a symbol of the Disney Company. It generates billions of dollars in revenue for Disney every year.
However, US copyright protection law stipulates that the copyright protection period of this image is 95 years. This means that two years later, starting in 2024, the image of Mickey Mouse will automatically enter the public domain. According to the British "Mirror" news, after this, anyone who wants to use the image of Mickey Mouse can use it freely without applying or paying copyright fees.
As of now, it is unclear whether Disney will take additional actions to extend the copyright protection period, and the company has not made relevant comments. However, Disney had lobbied several times before, in 1976 and 1998, and amended the bill to extend the copyright protection period for Mickey Mouse's image from the original 56 years to the current 95 years.
Source: CCTV News Client
