<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/music-industry">Eagles</a> founder Don Henley is expected to take the stand as the criminal trial begins on Wednesday for three men accused of stealing and attempting to sell handwritten <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/music">lyrics</a> to classic rock songs, including the iconic “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment">Hotel California</a>.”
The manuscripts, including more than 80 pages, are collectively valued at more than $1 million, per the Manhattan District Attorney, as Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/eagles-hotel-california-criminal-trial-stolen-lyric-pages-about-the-names-involved-a-gold-mine">reported</a>. 
Defendant Ed Sanders is accused of stealing notepads from The Eagles while working on a biography about the band in the &#8217;70s. The book never made it to print. Sanders reportedly kept the manuscripts and sold the documents to rare book dealer Glenn Horowitz for $50,000.
Horowitz next sold some of the documents to former Rock &amp; Roll Hall of Fame curator Craig Inciardi and collector Edward Kosinski.
The three men pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and other charges. Their lawyers said the case “alleges criminality where none exists and unfairly tarnishes the reputations of well-respected professionals,” per the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/hotel-california-lyrics-manuscript-trial-eagles-henley-8ec3a28657365ecce6bfd4003ead494a">Associated Press</a>. 
Sanders made different claims about how he came to have the pages in his possession, saying at different points that he found them in a backstage dressing room and that he got them from Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey, who died in 2016.
Henley discovered what was going on and purchased the handwritten “Hotel California” lyrics for $8,500 in 2012, the indictment says, while simultaneously reporting the pages as stolen.
Later, Koskinski tried to sell written lyrics for “New Kid in Town” to Sotheby&#8217;s in 2014. He and Inciardi continued trying to sell other pages the following year. In 2016, the DA recovered some of the pages from Sotheby’s and Kosinski&#8217;s New Jersey residence.
&#8220;When Don Henley learned that Inciardi and Kosinski were trying to sell portions of the manuscripts, he filed police reports, told the defendants that the materials were stolen, and demanded the return of his property,&#8221; a statement from the DA’s office said. &#8220;Rather than making any effort to ensure they actually had rightful ownership, the defendants responded by engaging in a years-long campaign to prevent Henley from recovering the manuscripts.&#8221;
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&#8220;Shortly thereafter, Horowitz attempted to exploit the recent death of founding Eagles member Glenn Frey to prevent criminal prosecution; he produced a new false statement of provenance, this time claiming that the materials originated from the now-deceased Frey,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;In one email message, Horowitz observed that &#8220;[Frey] alas, is dead and identifying him as the source would make this go away once and for all.&#8221;
The three defendants opted to forgo a jury, meaning Judge Curtis Farber will decide the verdict.

Don Henley

3 Men Accused Of Stealing, Selling Handwritten ‘Hotel California’ Lyrics Go To Trial

3 Men Accused Of Stealing, Selling Handwritten 'Hotel California' Lyrics Go To Trial

Alvin Bragg

copyright

Crime

Entertainment

Music Industry

New York

New York City

Rock and Roll

U.S.

Tattoo artist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities">Kat Von D</a> is celebrating a win in court after a jury determined she did not violate any <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/copyright">copyright</a> laws for a custom tattoo she did featuring an image of jazz legend Miles Davis. 
The 41-year-old tattooist and reality show star, whose real name is Katherine von Drachenberg, was seen smiling while leaving the courthouse after the decision, per the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kat-von-d-tattoo-trial-miles-davis-388d1831c0a065b096fe4f69fe8a224e">Associated Press</a>. The outlet noted that the jury deliberated for just two hours before deciding that Von D was not guilty. 
Von D was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lawsuit">sued</a> by the artist Jeffrey Sedlik for allegedly copying a portrait he made of Davis in 1989, which she said she used as inspiration to create a tattoo for a friend. 
Van D described the image as “fan art” during the trial and said she did the tattoo as a gift. “I made zero money off it. I’m not mass-producing anything. I think there is a big difference,” she said.
The jury determined that the tattoo fell within the legal doctrine of fair use of a copyrighted work.
“I’m obviously very happy for this to be over. It’s been two years of a nightmare worrying about this, not just for myself but for my fellow tattoo artists,” Von D said after the verdict. She also said the whole experience has made her reluctant to return to doing tattoos. 
“I think I don’t want to ever tattoo again, my heart has been crushed through this in different ways. We’ll see with time,” she said.
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Her attorney, Allen B. Grodsky, said of the outcome: “We’ve said all along that this case never should have been brought. The jury recognized that this was just ridiculous.”
Meanwhile, Sedlik&#8217;s attorney, Robert Edward Allen, said they plan to appeal the verdict. “If those two things are not substantially similar, then no one’s art is safe,” Allen said in a statement.
“It’s about copying others’ protected works,” he added. “It’s not going to hurt the tattoo industry. The tattoo police are not going to come after anyone.”
Von D rose to fame while starring on TLC’s “Miami Ink” starting in 2005. She also starred in the show’s spinoff, “LA Ink,” from 2007 to 2011. The reality star made headlines recently for her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kat-von-d-on-becoming-christian-its-like-a-deprogramming-has-taken-place">conversion to Christianity</a> following years of being associated with witchcraft and a macabre aesthetic.

Kat Von D

Kat Von D Wins Copyright Case Over Miles Davis Tattoo

Courts

Lawsuit

Tattoos

A new horror movie featuring the “Steamboat Willie” version of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mickey-mouse">Mickey Mouse</a> is currently in the works, per a Variety <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/news/steamboat-willie-horror-film-mickey-mouse-public-domain-copyright-1235849861/">report</a>.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/disney">Disney&#8217;s</a> copyright to “Steamboat Willie” expired Monday, along with its right to the original versions of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, though the company still holds <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/copyright">copyrights</a> for more modern versions of these iconic characters. &#8220;Steamboat Willie&#8221; is an animated short from 1928 that is widely considered the debut of Mickey and Minnie Mouse characters, however, Mickey doesn&#8217;t look the same as the modern versions of the cartoon. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/01/01/1221606624/mickey-mouse-public-domain-disney">According</a> to NPR, &#8220;he&#8217;s more rascally and rough.&#8221;
Independent filmmaker Steven LaMorte released a statement announcing his intentions to capitalize on this new development by making Mickey the main character in a horror flick.
“Steamboat Willie has brought joy to generations, but beneath that cheerful exterior lies a potential for pure, unhinged terror,” LaMorte said in a press release, per the outlet. “It’s a project I’ve been dreaming of, and I can’t wait to unleash this twisted take on this beloved character to the world.”
LaMorte also directed “The Mean One” (2022) a horror film starring the Dr. Seuss character The Grinch. The movie grossed $1 million in theaters.
“It all comes from our love of these characters,” he said in an interview. “Filmmakers — we’re all kids in the sandbox. We love taking them and playing with them in different ways. It’s not a desire to ruin these characters or make a quick buck, but to love them and honor them and show them in a new light.”
“We are doing our due diligence to make sure there’s no question or confusion of what we’re up to,” LaMorte added. “This is our version of a public domain character. It’s a scary thrill ride with heart and humor, based on this character that everybody knows.” He also said that the film&#8217;s producers are working with a legal team to ensure the film version of Mickey is compliant.
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Disney said in a statement last month the company would be diligent about protecting the copyright-protected version of Mickey Mouse. 
“We will, of course, continue to protect our rights in the more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright, and we will work to safeguard against consumer confusion caused by unauthorized uses of Mickey and our other iconic characters,” the company said. 
This development is similar to what happened when the children’s storybook characters Winnie the Pooh and Piglet became public domain property last year. The horror film “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey&#8221; featuring Pooh and Piglet as deranged serial killers was released last January to mixed reviews.
The “Winnie the Pooh” character Tigger also entered the public domain on January 1, 2024.

Mickey Mouse

Mickey Mouse Horror Film Announced As ‘Steamboat Willie’ Enters Public Domain

Mickey Mouse Horror Film Announced As 'Steamboat Willie' Enters Public Domain

Disney

Horror Movies

Movies

The earliest versions of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mickey-mouse">Mickey</a> and Minnie Mouse, featured in the 1928 <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/entertainment">short</a> “Steamboat Willie,” will become available for public use beginning January 1, 2024.
This is the first time that any version of the iconic <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/disney">Disney</a> character will no longer be subject to copyright protections, according to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/mickey-mouse-public-domain-disney-minnie-tigger-1dbfa3982a172334503bc8cf87302b6f">The Associated Press</a>. “This is it. This is Mickey Mouse. This is exciting because it’s kind of symbolic,” Jennifer Jenkins, a professor of law and director of Duke’s Center for the Study of Public Domain, said of the development. &#8220;I kind of feel like the pipe on the steamboat, like expelling smoke. It’s so exciting.”
United States law currently allows a copyright to be held for 95 years. This number has been extended several times as multiple groups, including Disney, lobbied for extensions.
“It’s sometimes derisively referred to as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act,” Jenkins said of the laws, per AP. “That’s oversimplified because it wasn’t just Disney that was pushing for term extension. It was a whole group of copyright holders whose works were set to go into the public domain soon, who benefited greatly from the 20 years of extra protection.”
The “Steamboat Willie” version of the world’s most recognizable mouse is different than the more modern version that Disney fans know and love, which is a point the media company made in a statement to AP.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Walt Disney Animation Studios&#039; Steamboat Willie" width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BBgghnQF6E4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
“Ever since Mickey Mouse’s first appearance in the 1928 short film &#8216;Steamboat Willie,&#8217; people have associated the character with Disney’s stories, experiences, and authentic products,” a Disney spokesperson told the outlet. “That will not change when the copyright in the &#8216;Steamboat Willie&#8217; film expires.”
“More modern versions of Mickey will remain unaffected by the expiration of the &#8216;Steamboat Willie&#8217; copyright, and Mickey will continue to play a leading role as a global ambassador for the Walt Disney Company in our storytelling, theme park attractions, and merchandise,” the statement continued. “We will, of course, continue to protect our rights in the more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright.”
Earlier this year, A.A. Milne’s original “Winnie the Pooh” characters entered the public domain, which led to some unique entertainment projects. Some fans were shocked at the January release of the horror film “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey,” which featured Pooh and Piglet as deranged <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/florida-parents-furious-their-fourth-graders-were-shown-winnie-the-pooh-horror-film-in-school">serial killers</a>.
Besides the original Mickey and Minnie characters, the “Winnie the Pooh” character Tigger will also enter the public domain on January 1.

Steamboat Willie

Earliest Version Of Mickey Mouse, Plus Minnie And Tigger, Will Become Public Domain In 2024

A jury found <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/music">musician</a> Ed Sheeran, who stood accused of copying Marvin Gaye&#8217;s 1973 hit “Let’s Get It On” when he composed his 2014 single “Thinking Out Loud,&#8221; not liable Thursday in the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/copyright">copyright infringement</a> lawsuit brought against him, according to <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/jury-reaches-verdict-ed-sheeran-get-copyright-trial-rcna82885">NBC News</a>.
They deliberated for three hours before coming to the unanimous decision, which was required for this <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lawsuit">case</a>.
The British musician’s attorney Ilene Farkas previously asked Sheeran what would happen if he lost. The 32-year-old singer said being found guilty would mean the end of his musical career.
“If that happens, I’m done – I’m stopping. I find it really insulting to work my whole life as a singer-songwriter and diminish it,” Sheeran said during the trial.
“Did you copy anything from ‘Let’s Get it On’ when you wrote ‘Thinking Out Loud?’” Farkas asked the musician outright during the trial, as The Daily Wire previously reported.
“No,” he answered.
Sheeran and his “Thinking Out Loud&#8221; co-writer Amy Wadge said the single shared more similarities to multiple Van Morrison songs, including “Tupelo Honey” and “Crazy Love,” which he demonstrated by playing those songs on the stand. 
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“Once we had written and Ed started playing it from the phone, we both said it was a Van (Morrison) song,” Wadge said in her testimony. “It had the same sort of feel as a Van Morrison song.”
Sheeran’s attorney also present the argument that the four-chord progression in question was very basic and that “no one owns basic musical building blocks.” 
Sheeran’s legal team wrote in an earlier written filing, “The two songs share versions of a similar and unprotectable chord progression that was freely available to all songwriters.”
The British songwriter has been involved in legal battles before. One of his previous copyright cases was settled out of court, while he won the other. Sheeran has vocally opposed these types of lawsuits before.
“It’s really damaging to the songwriting industry. There’s only so many notes and very few chords used in pop music,” Sheeran said during a video post he shared on Instagram.  
“Coincidence is bound to happen if 60,000 songs are being released every day on Spotify. That’s 22 million songs a year, and there’s only 12 notes that are available. I’m not an entity. I’m not a corporation. I’m a human being. I’m a father. I’m a husband. I’m a son. Lawsuits are not a pleasant experience.”

Musician Ed Sheeran

Jury Reaches Verdict In Ed Sheeran ‘Let’s Get It On’ Copyright Trial

Jury Reaches Verdict In Ed Sheeran 'Let's Get It On' Copyright Trial

Music

Ed Sheeran indicated that he’s ready to quit the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/music-industry">music business</a> if he loses his current <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/copyright">copyright</a> infringement <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lawsuit">lawsuit</a> filed by Marvin Gaye’s estate.
The British musician’s attorney Ilene Farkas asked him what would happen if he lost, prompting Sheeran to reply, “If that happens, I’m done – I’m stopping. I find it really insulting to work my whole life as a singer-songwriter and diminish it.”
Gaye’s estate accused Sheeran of copying the iconic 1973 single “Let’s Get It On” for his Grammy-winning hit, “Thinking Out Loud.” The trial began Monday in New York.
“Did you copy anything from ‘Let’s Get it On’ when you wrote ‘Thinking Out Loud?’” Farkas asked the musician outright during the trial, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/05/01/ed-sheeran-im-done-if-found-liable-in-marvin-gaye-lets-get-it-on-copyright-lawsuit">per</a> The New York Post.
“No,” he said.
The “Shape of You” composer also performed parts of the song along with multiple Van Morrison songs, including &#8220;Tupelo Honey” and “Crazy Love,” on the stand. His “Thinking Out Loud” co-writer Amy Wadge took Sheeran’s side, claiming the song they came up with sounded more similar to Morrison’s work than it did to Gaye’s. 
“Once we had written and Ed started playing it from the phone, we both said it was a Van (Morrison) song,” she said. “It had the same sort of feel as a Van Morrison song.”
Farkas previously argued that the four-chord progression in questions was very basic and that “no one owns basic musical building blocks.” Sheeran’s legal team wrote in an earlier written filing, “The two songs share versions of a similar and unprotectable chord progression that was freely available to all songwriters.”
Sheeran has been sued for copyright infringement before. A judge ruled in 2022 that the singer’s single “Shape of You” was not a copy of Sami Switch’s song “Oh Why.” The musician also got sued but settled out of court over accusations of plagiarism with his 2016 single “Photograph.” 
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The “Bad Habits” singer previously expressed frustrations about these types of lawsuits in 2022.
“It’s really damaging to the songwriting industry. There’s only so many notes and very few chords used in pop music,” Sheeran said during a video post he shared on Instagram.  
“Coincidence is bound to happen if 60,000 songs are being released every day on Spotify. That’s 22 million songs a year, and there’s only 12 notes that are available. I’m not an entity. I’m not a corporation. I’m a human being. I’m a father. I’m a husband. I’m a son. Lawsuits are not a pleasant experience.”

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran: ‘I’m Done’ If Plaintiffs Win Copyright Case Accusing Him Of Copying Marvin Gaye

Ed Sheeran: 'I'm Done' If Plaintiffs Win Copyright Case Accusing Him Of Copying Marvin Gaye

World

Recording artist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/celebrities">Ed Sheeran</a> took the stand Tuesday to defend himself during a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/lawsuit">copyright trial</a> stemming from accusations that his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/music">song</a> “Thinking Out Loud” copied the classic Marvin Gaye song, “Let’s Get It On.”
The musician testified in court that he and co-writer Amy Wadge came up with “Thinking Out Loud” during a collaborative writing session. Sheeran said it was inspired by his grandparents’ relationship, The Guardian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/apr/26/ed-sheeran-testifies-in-marvin-gaye-plagiarism-case-most-pop-songs-can-fit-over-most-pop-songs">reported</a>.
“Thinking Out Loud” won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 2016.
Ed Townsend co-wrote “Let’s Get It On” with Gaye. Townsend’s daughter Kathryn Townsend Griffin, his sister Helen McDonald, and the estate of his former wife Cherrigale Townsend are all plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Gaye died in 1984, and Townsend died in 2003, per <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/25/media/ed-sheeran-court-day-one/index.html">CNN Business</a>. 
Notorious attorney Ben Crump, who also represented George Floyd’s family, was selected as the lawyer for the plaintiffs. Crump described video footage of Sheeran segueing between the two songs during a 2017 concert as a “smoking gun” and tantamount to &#8220;a confession.&#8221; 
The artist insisted that wasn&#8217;t the case. Sheeran said from the stand, “If I had done what you’re accusing me of doing, I’d be quite an idiot to stand on a stage in front of 20,000 people and and do that.” Lawyer Keisha Rice interrupted him, which prompted Sheeran to say, “I feel like you don’t want me to answer because you know that what I’m going to say is actually going to make quite a lot of sense.”
Meanwhile, Sheeran’s lawyer Ilene Farkas argued that “no one owns basic musical building blocks.”  Sheeran’s legal team wrote in an earlier written filing, “The two songs share versions of a similar and unprotectable chord progression that was freely available to all songwriters.”
Gaye’s estate also sued singer Robin Thicke and producer Pharrell Williams for $7.4 million in 2015. They claimed the hit song “Blurred Lines” stole from Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.” The family ultimately won, with a judge awarding them $5.3 million in addition to 50% percent of the royalties from “Blurred Lines” going forward.
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Sheeran is also no stranger to lawsuits. A judge ruled in 2022 that the British singer’s single “Shape of You,” was not a copy of Sami Switch’s song “Oh Why.” Sheeran was also sued in 2016 over his single “Photograph.” That complaint was settled out of court, CNN noted.
The “Bad Habits” singer previously shared his feelings about these types of lawsuits following the 2022 incident. 
“It’s really damaging to the songwriting industry. There’s only so many notes and very few chords used in pop music,” Sheeran <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-61006984">said</a> during a video post he shared on Instagram.  
“Coincidence is bound to happen if 60,000 songs are being released every day on Spotify. That’s 22 million songs a year, and there’s only 12 notes that are available. I’m not an entity. I’m not a corporation. I’m a human being. I’m a father. I’m a husband. I’m a son. Lawsuits are not a pleasant experience.”

Ed Sheeran Attends Court In New York

Ed Sheeran Testifies In Copyright Case: ‘Would’ve Been An Idiot’ To Openly Flaunt Stealing ‘Let’s Get It On’

Ed Sheeran Testifies In Copyright Case: 'Would've Been An Idiot' To Openly Flaunt Stealing 'Let's Get It On'

A number of legendary media are about to enter the public domain in 2023, including the last remaining &#8220;Sherlock Holmes&#8221; mystery book.
According to the <a href="https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-duration.html#:~:text=As%20a%20general%20rule%2C%20for,plus%20an%20additional%2070%20years." target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Copyright Office</a>, copyrights on the vast majority of media items expire 70 years after the death of the original author. After that, the works enter the public domain and are available to be freely used by new creators. This year, a number of iconic media of all types are entering the public domain.
The most notable and controversial new work being added to the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/public-domain-2023-5c30746553953b5accffcbaa9e860de0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">public domain</a> is the short story collection “The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes,” the final set of Sherlock Holmes mysteries written by the legendary Scottish author and physician, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The collection was the center of a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/4c2c6715242e4965ba245d6af8d6a075">heated legal dispute</a> between the author Leslie Klinger and the Conan Doyle estate, over Klinger&#8217;s story collection, “In the Company of Sherlock Holmes,” about associates of the character and story elements featured in the original works. The estate claimed that even though nearly all of Conan Doyle&#8217;s original stories were already in the public domain, Klinger could not publish his own story collection because the &#8220;Case-Book&#8221; was still copyrighted. But a federal judge in 2014 ruled against the estate.
A separate dispute leveled by the estate against the creators of the Netflix film &#8220;<a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/netflix-settles-enola-holmes-lawsuit-with-conan-doyle-estate-4108221/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Enola Holmes</a>&#8221; was settled in December 2020. The Doyle Estate leaned on the &#8220;Case-Book&#8221; stories in that case as well, arguing that a new portrayal of the detective famous for his powers of deduction, with more explicit emotions, infringed on their copyright. A federal judge ruled in favor of the estate in that case.
Besides Sherlock Holmes, a number of other iconic books are entering the public domain. They include:
<ul>
<li>Herbert Asbury&#8217;s 1927 novel &#8220;The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld&#8221; which inspired the Oscar-nominated 2002 film &#8220;Gangs of New York,&#8221; starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio</li>
<li>&#8220;Death Comes for the Archbishop,&#8221; by iconic American author Willa Cather</li>
<li>“The Big Four,” a mystery featuring British author Agatha Christie&#8217;s iconic detective Hercule Poirot</li>
<li>&#8220;The Tower Treasure,&#8221; the first novel of the Hardy Boys series of children&#8217;s mystery novels.</li>
<li>“Mosquitoes,” by William Faulkner</li>
<li>Men Without Women,” by Ernest Hemingway</li>
<li>“To The Lighthouse,” by Virginia Woolf</li>
</ul>
Besides books, the 1927 film &#8220;The Jazz Singer,&#8221; the first feature film with synchronized sound, or &#8220;talkie.&#8221; There are also several songs on the list as well, including “The Best Things in Life Are Free,” from the musical “Good News”; the novelty tune “<a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/metropolis-sherlock-holmes-public-domain-day-2023-1234654562/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(I Scream You Scream, We All Scream for) Ice Cream</a>”; “Ol’ Man River,” from the iconic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical “Show Boat&#8221;; and the 1927 pop hits “Mississippi Mud” and “My Blue Heaven.&#8221;
Last year, the copyright on A.A. Milne&#8217;s iconic children&#8217;s book series, &#8220;Winnie the Pooh.&#8221; Months after the copyright expired, movie makers unveiled a slasher horror movie based on the world-famous characters. “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/winnie-the-pooh-blood-and-honey-horror-movie-trailer-drops-after-copyright-lapses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey</a>&#8221; is scheduled to debut in theatres on February 15.
Next year, one of the most iconic cartoon characters ever will be open to the public. The New York Times reported earlier this week that on January 1, 2024, the copyright for &#8220;Steamboat Willy,&#8221; the first-ever film featuring <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/27/business/mickey-mouse-disney-public-domain.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mickey Mouse</a> in his classic depiction, will enter the public domain, though speculation is rampant that Disney will fight a legal battle to keep its rights to him.

Sherlock Holmes tartan

Dozens Of Iconic Media, Including Last ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Story Collection, Set To Hit The Public Domain In 2023

Dozens Of Iconic Media, Including Last 'Sherlock Holmes' Story Collection, Set To Hit The Public Domain In 2023

General

Media

In two years, Disney could lose the exclusive rights to Mickey Mouse.
The original version of Mickey Mouse appeared in 1928; at the time U.S. copyright law protected Walt Disney’s iconic character for 56 years, but Disney later pushed for the Copyright Act of 1976, extended protections to 75 years. Then in 1998, Disney lobbied for an extension that expanded their rights to 95 years.
“The most recent extension came through the Copyright Term Extension Act in 1998, known to many as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act because of Disney’s heavy lobbying in support of the bill,” <a href="https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2022-05-11/mickey-mouse-copyright-expiration-disney-under-attack-republicans">The Los Angeles Times</a> noted, adding:
<blockquote>From 1987 to 1990 — around the time the legislation was being voted on — the Disney Political Action Committee donated $146,519 to federal candidates, while Disney employees gave $474,083 to candidates, plus an additional $133,382 to political parties and other PACs, according to a 1991 <a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-09-02-mn-1110-story.html">analysis by The Times</a>.</blockquote>
“You can use the Mickey Mouse character as it was originally created to create your own Mickey Mouse stories or stories with this character,” Daniel Mayeda, the ​​associate director of the Documentary Film Legal Clinic at UCLA School of Law, explained to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/jul/03/mickey-mouse-disney-copyright-expiry?utm_term=Autofeed&amp;CMP=fb_us&amp;utm_medium=Social&amp;utm_source=Facebook#Echobox=1656854906">The Guardian.</a>  &#8220;But if you do so in a way that people will think of Disney – which is kind of likely because they have been investing in this character for so long – then in theory, Disney could say you violated my copyright.”
The original version of Mickey Mouse debuted in “Steamboat Willie,” appearing premiered at the Colony Theatre on Broadway on November 18, 1928. Since then the character has appeared in over 130 films.
“While this first rat-like iteration of Mickey will be stripped of its copyright, Mayeda said Disney retains its copyright on any subsequent variations in other films or artwork until they reach the 95-year mark,” The Guardian noted.
“Copyrights are time-limited,” Mayeda said. “Trademarks are not. So Disney could have a trademark essentially in perpetuity, as long as they keep using various things as they’re trademarked, whether they’re words, phrases, characters or whatever.”
Suzanne Wilson, the head of the U.S. Copyright Office, served as the deputy general counsel for the Walt Disney Company for nearly ten years.
“Disney has been very active in trying to extend copyright terms,” Mayeda concluded. “Successfully, they have had their term for Mickey and so forth extended, but I doubt that they’re going to be able to get additional extensions. I think this is going to be the end of the line.”
(Disclosure: The Daily Wire has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/videos/introducing-dw-kids">announced plans</a> for kids entertainment content.)

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Disney Could Lose Exclusive Rights To Mickey Mouse By 2024

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