The Time Has Come

 If you're anything like me, and why wouldn't you aspire to such heights, you have been itching to get hold of a pen and paper to commence to drawing your very own copyright-free version of Mickey Mouse. If you forgot to set your alarm for the year 2024 and it snuck up on you, I offer my apologies for not letting you in on this exciting moment in pop culture. As of January first of this year, Mickey Mouse has become part of public domain. Feel free to test the bounds of decorum and good taste with your very own version of Steamboat Willie, as if that suggestion alone wasn't sufficient to start Walt's cryogenically preserved head spinning in its hermetically sealed vault. 

Pardon me. I'll slow down just a bit, since there are some asterisks to duck and dodge here. The most obvious and profound being that this is a very tiny window of laissez faire. The Disney Company retains the rights to all versions of their chief rodent with the exception of the one found in his film debut, the aforementioned Steamboat Willie. The one with rubbery arms and legs, wearing pants and shoes, but no three-fingered gloves. My guess is that making that kind of mistake in branding might have you in litigation with a bunch of very pricey attorneys so fast that it would make your head spin. 

Because Disney is a fierce protector of its own. Like back in 1989 when a fun-loving Academy Awards producer got it into his head to feature Rob Lowe, of the Brat Pack, singing and dancing with a member of the Mouse Club: Snow White. We understand that Snow White, the story, has long been part of the vox populi, but the very specific image used on that fateful night left little to the imaginations of anyone watching, and to be sure, they added this lyric to their frightening version of Proud Mary: “I used to work a lot for Walt Disney, starring in cartoons every night and day.” When the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences refused to apologize for their use of Ms. White without permission, the House of Mouse sued for what we can only assume was a kerjillion dollars. At the time, a spokesmouse said Disney files dozens of suits a year against individuals and companies that copy its characters, particularly in consumer products. “We sue all the time,” he said.

Apologies for all those, including myself, who bore witness to the spectacle were not forthcoming. But it does let you know that behind all those smiles and pixie dust there are still plenty of strings attached. So go ahead and have your Mickey Mouse fun, but don't make the mistake Rob Lowe did.