Mickey Mouse Copyright 2024. The 1928 short 'steamboat willie,' featuring both mickey and minnie mouse, will become public domain in 2024. Us copyright law says the rights to characters can be held for 95 years, which means the characters in steamboat willie entered the public domain on monday, 1 january 2024.

Mickey mouse will soon belong to everyone as disney’s copyright on the earliest versions of the character expires in 2024. With the copyright on steamboat willie, the first story with mickey mouse, due to expire in 2024, what does this mean for disney and mickey mouse?