Mickey Mouse A Copyright “Powerhouse”

Mickey Mouse, worth an estimated $5.8 billion per year to Disney, is the company’s most coveted piece of intellectual property. And the company has exerted enormous resources to retain copyright to the 87-year-old mouse, which was set to lapse into the public domain in 1984. In a detailed article in Priceonomics, Zachary Crockett outlines how Disney has managed to keep its priceless mouse out of the public domain, exerting enormous influence on U.S. copyright law in the process. As of now, Mickey will be released to the public in 2023.