Disney has been sued for enforcing intellectual property rights on the Mickey Mouse from the 1928 animated short Steamboat Willie. This depiction of Mickey Mouse, which was the first animated short to feature both Mickey and Minnie Mouse, entered the public domain in 2024, meaning that others could use that version of the character without the express permission of Disney.
However, personal injury law firm Morgan & Morgan has filed a lawsuit against Disney, saying the Disney legal team offered resistance to a planned nationwide advertising campaign that featured both Minnie and Mickey Mouse from Steamboat Willie. Morgan & Morgan is seeking a court order verifying that their commercial does not violate Disney’s rights to the character.
In the ad, we see the animated short’s classic image of Mickey whistling as he steers his boat, until it crashes, revealing that he was driving on the road and ran into Minnie’s car. Minnie then calls the law firm. At both the beginning and end of the ad, a voice-over says that the video was not approved by Disney, along with text to the same effect.
The lawsuit was filed in Florida federal court last week, citing Disney’s “history of aggressive enforcement of intellectual property rights” and its “refusal to disclaim an intent to engage in enforcement against” the Morgan & Morgan law firm.
Meanwhile, back in July, Disney sued the jewelry company Satéur over its use of the Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse design in products, noting that customers have filed complaints about the quality of the products, which Disney argued could harm its reputation. Part of the complaint that Disney filed for that lawsuit reads:
“As Disney has stated publicly, while copyright expired in the Steamboat Willie motion picture, Mickey Mouse will continue to play a leading role as a global ambᴀssador for Disney.”
Disney does still own the copyright for other iterations of Mickey Mouse besides Steamboat Willie.
What This Means For Steamboat Willie In The Public Domain
Once the copyright expired on Steamboat Willie at the end of 2023, the rule of public domain is meant to allow others to use the version of Mickey Mouse in that short without seeking permission from Disney or paying royalties. That’s how John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight created its own Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse mascot and the 2025 horror movie Screamboat came about.
This lawsuit from Morgan & Morgan against Disney pushing back against the use of Mickey Mouse could provide a test on whether there are potential limits to the public domain.
Our Take On The Disney Lawsuit
Disney is one of the largest corporations in the world, and one that is very protective of its brand. Even with Steamboat Willie in the public domain, it likely shouldn’t be a surprise that Disney would see what it can do to prevent unwanted use of its most famous character.
However, the timing isn’t great. It has been a rough week for Disney in the court of public opinion following the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel (though the late night host returned on September 23). Their alleged attempts to prevent the use of a version of their character that is officially in the public domain is another not-so-great look for the company.
