Mickey Mouse copyright expires, NFT craze stirs up waves again

With the booming development of digital art and blockchain technology, more and more cultural symbols have entered the world of NFT (non-fungible tokens). Recently, with the expiration of Mickey Mouse's copyright, the character in the classic animation "Steamboat Willie" appeared on the Opensea trading platform in the form of NFT for the first time, which has attracted widespread attention. This event not only marks the further popularization of digital assets, but also makes us re-examine the delicate relationship between copyright, cultural heritage and digital economy.

Since the image of Mickey Mouse first appeared in "Steamboat Willie" in 1928, it has become one of the most well-known animation characters in the world. Over time, Mickey Mouse not only has a place in the animation industry, but also a symbol of Disney culture. However, the expiration of copyright means that this classic character will no longer be protected by law, and anyone can use it for creation and trading, which provides new opportunities for artists and investors.

On Opensea, once the NFT of Steamboat Willie was launched, it quickly topped the trading hot list, attracting the attention of a large number of digital art enthusiasts. Many collectors have flocked to this platform to try to seize the initiative in the digital asset market. This phenomenon is not only a tribute to the classic image of Mickey Mouse, but also a recognition of the potential of the NFT market. By recreating classic cultural symbols, artists can find new ways of expression in the digital world, thereby achieving the dual goals of personal value and cultural inheritance.

Amid the craze for NFT, the expiration of Mickey Mouse's copyright has triggered widespread discussion on the legal and ethical issues of digital assets. Many people have begun to think about how to respect the rights of creators while enjoying the convenience and fun brought by digital art. As an emerging form of digital assets, NFT has its unique advantages, but it also faces many challenges. For example, how to ensure the authenticity and uniqueness of the work, how to prevent piracy and plagiarism, etc., all require joint efforts from both inside and outside the industry to solve.

At the same time, the expiration of Mickey Mouse's copyright has also opened up new ideas for other artists and creators. Many people have begun to explore how to combine classic characters with modern elements to create new works with a sense of the times. This innovation not only allows classic culture to continue, but also allows a new generation of audiences to understand and appreciate these works more deeply. This process is actually a cultural re-creation that respects tradition and gives it new life.

In such a rapidly changing era, the rise of NFT provides more possibilities for artistic creation. Artists are no longer limited to traditional creative methods, but can achieve richer expressions through digital technology. At the same time, collectors can also interact directly with artists in the form of NFTs and participate in the creation and dissemination of works. This two-way interaction not only improves the visibility of artworks, but also brings new vitality to the art market.

However, behind the popularity of the NFT market, there are also many risks. Due to the lack of sufficient supervision, many investors may ignore the in-depth understanding of the works themselves while pursuing short-term interests. High-value transactions in a short period of time do not represent the true value of the works, and many people may suffer losses in blindly following the trend. Therefore, as investors, we should remain rational when entering this market and carefully evaluate the risks and benefits of each investment.

The expiration of Mickey Mouse's copyright and the hot sales of Steamboat Willie NFT are the epitome of the booming digital art market. In the future, with the digitization of more classic works, we can foresee a more diversified art ecology. In this ecology, the combination of tradition and modernity will become the norm, and the boundary between artistic creation and commercial value will gradually blur.

Against this background, the relationship between artists, collectors and consumers will also undergo profound changes. We are not only admirers of works, but also communicators and participants of culture. Through the reinterpretation and creation of classic culture, we can jointly build a more colorful art world.

In the long run, the expiration of Mickey Mouse's copyright is not only a simple legal event, but also a challenge to our cultural cognition. How to promote cultural innovation and development while respecting history will be a question that every artist and consumer needs to think about. Only in this process can we truly realize the inheritance and innovation of culture and promote the healthy development of art and business.

In the days to come, we look forward to seeing more classic works appear in our vision in new forms. Every innovation will bring us new thinking and enlightenment, allowing us to find our own cultural coordinates in the rapidly changing digital age. The story of Mickey Mouse continues, and each of us can be a participant in this story. Through the re-creation of traditional culture, we will jointly write the next glorious chapter.

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CoinCircle (120BTC.coM): According to the BBC, the copyright of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse in the classic Disney animation Steamboat Willie, which was launched in 1928, officially entered the public domain on January 1, 2024, which is the so-called public property. This change means that the public can now freely use these characters to share, create and modify.

 Steamboat Willie NFT is on the hot trading list 

Yesterday (1), Goblin NFT publisher Truth Labs and NFT casting platform Manifold
Labs announced a partnership to seize the first opportunity to tokenize Steamboat Willie into an NFT series.

Steamboat
NFT series was created on Ethereum, limited to 2,000 pieces, and sold at a price of 0.001ETH. It was minted in just a few hours, and the floor price instantly soared to 0.18ETH, a 180-fold increase. As of press time, the transaction volume reached 487ETH (about 1.16 million US dollars).

In addition, creators have created the two series of Willie and Willie's Riverboat. Compared with the overall market, Steamboat Willie has received more attention from the NFT community.

Mickey Mouse's 40-year copyright journey

In fact, these classic characters in the original work were originally scheduled to enter the public domain in 1984. However, in order to protect the copyright of its iconic characters, Disney influenced the revision of the US Copyright Act, extending the copyright protection period for the first time by 20 years to 2004, and later extended it again to 2024. This law is called the "Mickey Mouse Protection Act" because of its close background with Disney.

Despite this, Disney warned that only a specific black and white version of the Mickey Mouse character has entered the public copyright domain. For the more modern version of the character, Disney still retains its copyright. This means that only some Mickey Mouse images are available for free use by the public, and Disney still holds copyright protection for other versions of Mickey Mouse.

Jennifer Jenkins of the Center for Public Goods Research at Duke Law School reminded the public that although some versions of Mickey Mouse have entered the public domain, creators still need to be careful about issues related to "trademark rights." She noted that Walt Disney Animation Studios has used Steamboat Willie as a trademark since 2007, meaning commercial use of the work and related elements may still be restricted.