A new book looks at the past and future of copyright
Whether it benefits creators or fuels inequality depends on who you ask
IF WALT DISNEY were still alive, he would be dismayed at the new film role given to his signature character, Mickey Mouse, as a slasher hunting teenagers in an old arcade. The trailer for “Mickey’s Mouse Trap” was released on January 1st. That is the day the copyright of “Steamboat Willie”, the short film that introduced Mickey Mouse’s character in 1928, expired. This early version of Mickey is now in the public domain.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “Copy wrongs”
Culture January 20th 2024
From the January 20th 2024 edition
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