On January 1, 2024, Disney's copyright on the original Mickey Mouse expired. In previous years when this had occurred, Disney would lobby for and obtain a 20-year extension as it had in 1998 under the guise of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act.<ref>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/01/a-whole-years-worth-of-works-just-fell-into-the-public-domain/</ref> | On January 1, 2024, Disney's copyright on the original Mickey Mouse expired. In previous years when this had occurred, Disney would lobby for and obtain a 20-year extension as it had in 1998 under the guise of the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act.<ref>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2019/01/a-whole-years-worth-of-works-just-fell-into-the-public-domain/</ref> |