Mickey Mouse has always been the face of many polarizing subjects. For some, he’s a representative of childhood innocence, for others he’s the mascot of a giant corporation. Disney as a company has had a history of making sure Mickey stays firmly in their legal hands, and all that effort might go out the window. According to a report by Deadline, a new bill has been proposed that would set the little mouse loose and into the public domain.
The bill has been proposed by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and was penned for the purpose of targeting Disney directly. Hawley introduced the bill to return the maximum of copyright protections back down to 56 years. The bill was penned as a fire back at the Walt Disney Company for taking a stand against the infamous Don’t Say Gay bill. Hawley stated the following in a press release about the proposed bill.
“The age of Republican handouts to Big Business is over. Thanks to special copyright protections from Congress, woke corporations like Disney have earned billions while increasingly pandering to woke activists. It’s time to take away Disney’s special privileges and open up a new era of creativity and innovation.”
A Long Legal History Over a Little Mouse
Mickey Mouse made his grand reveal in the 1928 cartoon Steamboat Willie. The film has since been the subject of numerous controversies centered around copyright. The film was set to enter the public domain in 1955, then in 1986, then in 2003, then to 2023. Each time, Disney lobbied to have the character’s protections extended. What was initially a law that was to ensure creators could profit off of their work until their deaths has since become a stronghold on creative Intellectual Properties and franchises. Critics have since pointed out that Disney meddling has caused a negative impact on the public domain, freezing other properties from entering into public hands as they should and being stuck in a creative limbo.
While the thought of Disney losing the hold on Mickey sounds like a pleasing thought, there is another side to the argument. Other voices have risen to criticize the drastic bill. Keith Kupferscmid, CEO of the Copyright Alliance, stated that the bill would have a negative impact on not just Disney, but on businesses around the country.
“This legislation would harm those millions of everyday Americans in all fifty states who rely on copyright for their livelihoods in creative industries largely dominated by independent and small businesses.”
While this bill might seem scary for Disney, Deadline reports that the bill actually advancing is highly unlikely. This is due to the current copyright rules being favored by both sides in the Senate. Currently, Disney has yet to speak on the bill. The company also has yet to speak on its plans for next year when Mickey Mouse will be under threat of stepping into the public domain again. It’s likely that they will try to appeal for another extension, but it will be an uphill battle. There are only so many times before Disney will just flat-out lose their grip on Mickey.