Things are about to get a little bit crazy up in here!
Mickey Mouse (well, the earliest version of him, Steamboat Willie) has entered the public domain in the US. Early depictions of him can now be used without limitation or license. And it’s taken very little time for some projects to announce they’re going to do just that.
Take a look at the new trailer for Infestation 88, the new horror game from Nightmare Forge Games:
And this trailer for Mickey’s Mouse Trap:
You see what I mean? A beloved childhood character is being used for dark and sinister purposes… and I FREAKING LOVE IT! I bet Disney doesn’t, though.
This is the second time in three years Disney has had one of their beloved characters enter the public domain, with Winnie-the-Pooh entering on 1st January 2022. If you don’t remember what happened with that, then I implore you to watch the following trailer for Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey:
But how is all this possible now?
*Iain pretends not to be reading verbatim from another article because he barely understands this topic*
What do you mean you don’t know what public domain means?!
Basically, if a work (be it a book, recording, film, etc.) has been around for long enough, then it can be used in other works without needing to pay for it or be granted permission by the copyright holder. The time before a work enters the public domain is pretty complicated and it varies by country, so let’s focus on US law.
In the US, as long as a copyright owner has renewed its copyright for the maximum term (which sometimes doesn’t happen like with It’s a Wonderful Life), then a published work enters the public domain on January 1st, 95 years following its first publication (up until the year of first publication, 1977, and then some other wacky rules apply). Sound recordings have different rules, but I’m just going to focus on books and movies.
Law is hard. Tell me in the comments how much I suck!
In short, a sh*t-tonne. Here are some of the more interesting ones some big-wig corporations are going to have nightmares about in the coming years:
First published in 1934, Flash Gordon will be entering the public domain in 2030. Are you awaiting a remake or sequel to Flash Gordon? Well, you can’t have that because the film won’t be in the public domain, being released in 1980. What you can have is a totally original story with Flash and Ming the Merciless. That’s pretty cool.
In October 1931, Dick Tracy made its debut, published in the Detroit Mirror. The comic strip that spawned toys, novels, games and movies will enter the public domain in three years! The noir genre could be entering a renaissance! Or, you know, they will just use his appearance in a slasher film because originality is a rare commodity.
It’s Popeye the SAILLLOR MAN! He lives in a CARAVANNN! Next year, he’ll be in the public domain, so why not pop some champagne. HE’S POPEYE THE SAILLLOR MAAAN!
*ahem*
Popeye was first published in 1929, so we only have to wait one year for the weirdly muscled spinach eater to be free to do what we please with.
Ok, this is a big one! J. R. R. Tolkien published The Hobbit, or There and Back Again in 1937. Bilbo Baggins, Gollum, Gandalf, Elrond, the whole company of dwarves, and Smaug are all referenced in the book. It’s the whole basis for The Lord of the Rings. This is MASSIVE.
Middle Earth will never be the same again!
You’re DAMN STRAIGHT! Superman was first published in Action Comics #1 in June 1938. That means in 2034, the Man of Steel is going into the public domain! Can you imagine what this is going to do to the film world? If you thought we had too many superheroes now, just think about the deluge of characters coming from DC.
Because the year later, first published in May 1939, is BATMAN. Wooooooooooo! 11 years from now, we could have Zack Snyder do “Batman vs. Superman 2: Martha’s Legacy”, and there won’t be anything Warner Brothers can do to stop it.
Man, 2034 is going to be crazy.
