Disney’s Mickey Mouse will enter the public domain in 2024 , when its copyright term reaches 95 years. Mickey Mouse was born in 1928, when the term of copyright protection was 56 years. The Copyright Act of 1978 extended the term of protection to 75 years. In 1998, Disney lobbied for passage of the Copyright Term Extension Act (aka the Mickey Mouse Protection Act), which extended copyright protection to 95 years. If there are no more changes in copyright law, or if Disney doesn’t take new action by 2023, by 2024 anyone can use Mickey Mouse for free and freely. Mickey Mouse is still a trademark of Disney, and the trademark does not expire.
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