Legal battles loom as first Mickey Mouse copyright ends

The copyright on "Steamboat Willie" — a short, black-and-white 1928 animation that first introduced audiences to the mischievous rodent who would become emblematic of American pop culture — expires after 95 years, on January 1, under US law.

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(FILES) Mickey Mouse animations annouce the entrance to the Walt Disney Archives during a media tour of the Disney Studio and Walt Disney Archives,on June 20, 2023 at the Disney Studio lot. AFP