It has been revealed that Disney may be set to lose the rights to its most well-known and adored figure. According to reports, Republican Senator Josh Hawley has presented a bill that would strip Disney of the copyright on the original Mickey Mouse if it passes.
Not All Fun and Games
If passed, the law would reduce copyright protections from 95 to 56 years, meaning Disney would lose some of its older copyrights immediately.
As Big as It Gets
Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks came up with the idea for Mickey Mouse in 1928. The character has since become Disney’s mascot and one of the world’s most recognizable cartoon characters.
Hawley’s bill is unlikely to pass, according to Deadline, citing a Democrat-controlled Senate as one of the reasons. Senator Patrick Leahy, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on intellectual property, is described as a “major supporter for the film business when it comes to fighting piracy and improving copyright rights,” according to the report.