Disney’s vintage Mickey made waves in the NFT world after the copyright expired

Walt Disney Company's iconic character, Mickey Mouse, has been freed from copyright and has made a big splash in the world of NFTs.

The previous version of Mickey – Appeared in the 1928 short film “Steamboat Willie” – recently entered the public domain, which is a historic moment in the realm of intellectual property. On January 1, 2024, Steamboat Willie's version of Mickey Mouse was released to the public as the copyright expired after nearly a century. United States law limits copyright protection to 95 years.

OpenSea explodes with the Vintage Mickey NFT Craze

Popular NFT marketplace OpenSea has seen an increase in trading volume related to vintage Mickey Mouse. The top NFT collection on the 24-hour trending list was titled “Steamboat Willie Public Domain 2024.” Following closely behind in second and third place were two sets, “Steamboat Willie” and “Steamboat Willie's Riverboat.”

In the year There are differences between Mickey Mouse in 1928 and today's company, Masco. In the “Steamboat Willie” version, Mickey doesn't wear the gloves and big shoes that are now recurring characters. Additionally, the eyes appear as small black ovals without pupils, which differs from the current image.

A Disney spokesperson told CNN that the entertainment behemoth will continue to retain rights to modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other copyrighted works. The company highlighted its commitment to preventing consumer confusion through unauthorized use of Mickey and other popular characters.

They added.

“Additional versions of Mickey will not be affected by the expiration of Steamboat Willie's copyright, and Mickey will continue to play a leading role in our entertainment, park attractions and merchandise as a global ambassador for The Walt Disney Company.”

Restrictions continue.

While “Steamboat Willie” has gained attention among the trending NFT collections on OpenSea, there may be restrictions on its use due to past copyright ties to Disney, which are now in the public domain.

According to Harvard Law School professor Rebecca Tushnett, the public domain offers the freedom to reimagine Steamboat Willie without restriction. However, she emphasized the importance of avoiding duplication of elements from the modern Mickey Mouse, as Disney still retains trademarks on those.

Tushnet underscored the importance of creating new content inspired by Steamboat Willie in order to gain protection from copyright infringement claims.