‘Steamboat’ Mickey Mouse enters public domain

A version of Disney’s iconic Mickey Mouse–once a leading villain in the US copyright debate–has officially entered the public domain after 95 long years. Moving forward, anyone can reuse or reference the black and white Mickey and Minnie Mouse that appeared in 1928 films Steamboat Willie and Plane Crazy without fears of legal reprisals from Disney. The highly awaited expiration date marks an important moment for public domain advocates, who’ve long associated the goofy mouse with corporate efforts to extend the shelf-life of copyrighted works. 

What is public domain…