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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Entertainment
Richard Luscombe in Miami

Copyright for original Mickey Mouse persona to run out 1 January 2024

A man draws a cartoon character.
Walt Disney draws Steamboat Willie circa 1943. Photograph: Photo 12/Alamy

It’s been a challenging centenary year for Disney, and the world’s largest and most prominent entertainment company is having to end it with an emotional “so long!” to its oldest friend, Mickey Mouse.

To be clear, it’s not the Mickey Mouse, iconic centerpiece of countless elementary school lunch bags, T-shirts and baseball caps, who is leaving the happiest place on earth when his copyright protection expires on 1 January.

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