• News
  • Film and TV
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Weird
  • Community
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Mickey Mouse Could End Up In A Winnie The Pooh Horror If Disney Loses Legal Battle

Home> News

Published 16:25 30 May 2022 GMT+1

Mickey Mouse Could End Up In A Winnie The Pooh Horror If Disney Loses Legal Battle

Disney mascot Mickey Mouse could end up entering the public domain and star in films like the Winnie The Pooh horror movie

Joe Harker

Joe Harker

Disney runs the risk of famous mascot Mickey Mouse entering the public domain and ending up in a horror movie like Winnie the Pooh.

That's right, if Disney doesn't win its latest legal battle, it could find its most iconic character entering the public domain.

If that was to happen, then anyone can use the character without infringing on copyright or intellectual property – and that's exactly what's happened to Winnie the Pooh, which is why horror movie Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey has been made.

And if there are people out there who would write a film in which Pooh and Piglet are monsters who killed and ate Eeyore, imagine what they could do to Mickey Mouse.

Advert

Mickey Mouse was originally created way back in 1928.
Alamy

To understand exactly why this might happen, it's time to dive into the fun, fantastical world of copyright law.

Back in the heady days of 1928 when Mickey Mouse made his cinematic debut in Steamboat Willie, copyright protection laws in the US allowed Disney to keep copyright for the character for 56 years.

These laws were in place to ensure creators got paid for other people using the things they had made, while allowing time for them to eventually enter the public domain and become available to anyone.

Advert

However, with the copyright for Mickey Mouse set to expire in 1984, Disney successfully lobbied the US government to pass a new act in 1976 that extended the protection period from 56 years to 75, and then in 1998 it again successfully got that extended to 95 years.

Now, however, the expiration date on Steamboat Willie is looming large once again, and according to the Hollywood Reporter, Republican Senator Josh Hawley has vowed to target 'woke corporations like Disney' and bring the protection period down from 95 years back to 56.

That would mean Disney loses the copyright on Steamboat Willie as well as the character of Mickey Mouse as he appears in it, which means if someone wants to make a horror movie or anything else with him in it, then they will be well within their rights to do so.

Advert

If that bill passes, it means a whole host of characters and properties will suddenly enter the public domain, not just Mickey Mouse.

According to Movieweb, the feud between Disney and the Republicans reportedly began after the entertainment giant promised to push for the Parental Rights in Education Law – sometimes referred to as the 'Don't Say Gay' law – to be repealed.

It also reports that while the bill is unlikely to pass, it is probably only a matter of time before Disney can't hold onto the copyright for Mickey Mouse and he enters the public domain.

If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]  

Featured Image Credit: Disney/Jagged Edge Productions/ITN Distribution

Topics: Disney

Joe Harker
Joe Harker

Joe graduated from the University of Salford with a degree in Journalism and worked for Reach before joining the LADbible Group. When not writing he enjoys the nerdier things in life like painting wargaming miniatures and chatting with other nerds on the internet. He's also spent a few years coaching fencing. Contact him via [email protected]

X

@MrJoeHarker

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

9 hours ago
11 hours ago
12 hours ago
  • 9 hours ago

    Diddy denied bail after being found guilty on 2 out of 5 counts in sex trafficking and prostitution case

    Diddy has been denied bail after being found guilty on two of five charges he was facing

    News
  • 11 hours ago

    Donald Trump makes shocking threat he wants to deport US citizens and people are stunned

    Donald Trump has made a threat to deport US citizens following the opening of a migrant centre in Florida

    News
  • 12 hours ago

    Bryan Kohberger speaks for first time in court admitting to how he brutally murdered four Idaho students

    The Idaho murder suspect has spoken out following the brutal murders of four students in 2022

    News
  • 12 hours ago

    Former prosecutor explains why Diddy was found not guilty on 3 out of 5 counts in sex trafficking and prostitution case

    A legal expert has shared his thoughts about why Sean 'Diddy' Combs has been found not guilty of three counts

    News
  • Bambi is getting a Winnie the Pooh style horror film
  • First trailer for Winnie the Pooh horror film has been released
  • Why Winnie The Pooh Couldn't Be Made Into A Horror Until Now