Plaintiffs Law Firm Sought to Use Mickey Mouse for Advertisement

Disney’s Mickey Mouse first appeared on November 18, 1928, through the short animation of Steamboat Willie. This animation was initially granted copyright protection for a potential maximum of 56 years, but by means of copyright extension acts, 1976 and 1998, received copyright protection until January 1, 2024.

As of January 1, 2024, Steamboat Willie’s copyright protection ended and the animation entered the public domain, essentially allowing anyone to use the animation without further licensing or permission.

However, while the copyright has ended due to durational limitations, Mickey Mouse remains a trademark of Disney. As such, Disney may rely on trademark laws to protect its beloved character, a position that Disney seems to hold and intends to continue relying on to actively preserve its intellectual property rights in absence of copyright protection.

Nonetheless, a personal injury law firm, Morgan & Morgan, intended to run a parody personal injury ad by using elements of the now public Steamboat Willie animation. As such, Morgan & Morgan reached out to Disney in July 2025, seeking written assurance that this intended parody ad would not be met with copyright or trademark infringement claims.

After failing to receive a response of assurance from Disney, in September 2025, Morgan & Morgan filed a declaratory judgement suit in Orlando, Florida federal court seeking a ruling that it may move forward with its proposed parody ad without risk of infringement claims from Disney. However, as of November 2025, Morgan & Morgan’s suit has been voluntarily dismissed without prejudice.

When creating any intellectual property, from digital media to physical products, it is always best not only to receive copyright registration, but to most importantly ensure trademark registration with timely renewals to further maintain longstanding protection for your intellectual property rights and interests.