Mickey Mouse NFT Soars as Copyright Expires

An earlier version of Mickey Mouse, the mascot of the Walt Disney Company, became the most trending nonfungible token (NFT) on the OpenSea marketplace after its release into the public domain for the first time.

On the first of the year, the general public gained access to a version of Mickey featured in the 1928 short film “Steamboat Willie” when its copyright expired. Steamboat Willie was the first appearance of Mickey Mouse made available to the general public.

The law in the United States only permits copyright to be kept for 95 years, so Disney’s claim to this particular rendition of the character was finally terminated after almost a century.

As a result of the expiration of the copyright, three non-fictional piece (NFT) collections that were associated with the previous mascot occupied the top three positions on OpenSea’s 24-hour trending list.

After achieving a trade volume of around $1.2 million, the NFT collection known as “Steamboat Willie Public Domain 2024” has risen to the top of the list. “Steamboat Willie” was the second collection on the list, while “Steamboat Willie’s Riverboat” received the third highest ranking.

Steamboat Willie NFTs on OpenSea’s 24-hour trending list. Source: OpenSea

These collections were ranked in the same order. The Steamboat Willie Public Domain 2024 collection rose to the number six slot on the 24-hour top charts in OpenSea, joining other popular collections such as the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) and Pudgy Penguins.

Steamboat Willie NFTs on OpenSea’s 24-hour top list. Source: OpenSea

This achievement was in addition to the trending list. The Steamboat Willie collection ranked seventh on the same list.

Although the copyright for this particular iteration of the well-known mascot has expired, Disney has reassured the general public that contemporary iterations of Mickey will continue to be unaffected by the expiration of Steamboat Willie.

A spokesperson for the firm told CNN that Disney will continue to protect their rights in the newer versions of Mickey Mouse and other copyrighted works. According to the statement, Disney will actively protect consumers from confusion that unauthorized uses of Mickey and other iconic characters may cause.