Seriously, Don’t Let Steamboat Willie Get You Sued

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THIS IS NOT STEAMBOAT WILLIE

“Hey, did you hear! Mickey Mouse is public domain now!” will be the last words of somebody’s bank account — let’s make sure it isn’t yours. This year started off with a new entrant to the public domain: Steamboat Willie!

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Welcome to the public domain, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928)! https://t.co/ELwRxlukIr pic.twitter.com/Kbv740jTD2

— Internet Archive (@internetarchive) January 1, 2024

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Cool as that is, it bears repeating that he’s the precursor to the Mouse we know and love to see dump on DeSantis’s parade, Mickey Mouse. In plain english, Mickey Mouse is not yet in the public domain and using Mickey Mouse’s likeness would be a great way to get dunked on by the legal team that managed to make understanding the Rule Against Perpetuities enjoyable. The likely candidates to be the first to feel the wrath? NFT Bros. The wise words are courtesy of Oscar Franklin Tan on Cointelegraph:

Only the specific 1928 depiction of Mickey Mouse, the scarier black and white character with a longer nose and no gloves, is public domain, under U.S. law. Mickey Mouse, the trademark and brand, separate from the character, is still private. You cannot suddenly make your own Mickey products.

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The rules don’t end there:

“The NFT you saw was specifically called ‘Steamboat Willie’, and it was made clear this refers only to the 1928 version, even if ‘Mickey’ is on his T-shirt. Anyone using Mickey version 1928 would want to make it clear their creation or product is not affiliated with Disney, the trademark owner.”

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As hilarious as it would be to see someone who finally came up on their bitcoin “investment” to suddenly lose it all because they made an NFT of a highly recognizable mouse in the wrong colorway, I doubt the subjective experience of it will be a good time. Just so there’s no confusion: black and white old timey aesthetic cool, modern rendition with red pants and yellow boots means you’re gonna get some high-powered legal mail sent to your house.

As you’d expect, people are already testing the waters. Yes, that was a steamboat joke:

"Journey Into the Public Domain"

For the culture. A conmemorative Open Edition to celebrate 'Steamboat Willie' going into the public domain.

– Price: 0.007 Ξ
– Claim duration: 24hs.

I'll be raffling off 3 NFTs among those who mint. 👁️

Link below! 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/dgyptphFmk

— Javpixel (@javpixel_art) January 2, 2024

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First look at another ‘STEAMBOAT WILLIE’ horror movie, which begins filming in Spring.

The film will follow a sadistic mouse who torments a group of unsuspecting ferry passengers. pic.twitter.com/WmTcYH6Ttu

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 2, 2024

Given how short internet attention spans are, the whole new world Willie offers may get stripped of its layers and end up part of the same Dream Work:

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The next 5 years of Steamboat Willie content pic.twitter.com/SoBanKpslO

— ToonHoleChris (@toonholechris) January 1, 2024

Trust me — whatever gets made can’t be more vertigo-inducing than the Kingdom Hearts franchise:

There’s literally no reason they had to have his shirt come off.

ney-nft-1928-mickey-mouse-steamboat-willie-lawyer-comments”>Lawyer On Mickey Mouse NFTs: ‘You Cannot Suddenly Make Your Own Mickey Products’ [<a href="https://cointelegraph.com/news/disCointelegraph]

Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s.  He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at [email protected] and by tweet at @WritesForRent.

Topics

Courts, Disney, Intellectual Property, Mickey Mouse, Steamboat Willie