The first Mickey Mouse cartoon is finally old enough for its U.S. copyright protection to expire. Cryptocurrency enthusiasts celebrated the event, perhaps predictably, by issuing meme coins.
On Monday, January 1, the character Steamboat Willie, the first Mickey Mouse cartoon to appear on screen in 1928, entered the public domain. This means that other artists can now use early versions of the comic to create additional works without permission. Within a few hours, A new mouse-based token traded as MICKEY has been issued.
“Mickey Token” website read: “Mickey is and will always be a timeless cultural icon. Meme coins have become digital reflections of culture. The launch of the Mickey Token not only marks his release into the public domain, but also the beginning of a new adventure into the unknown.”
He added, “The MICKEY meme coin is inspired by the original Mickey Mouse character from the cartoon ‘Steamboat Willie’ (1928).”
The token, which runs on the Ethereum blockchain, is so new that its market capitalization is still only $6,500.
meme coin Digital coins and tokens based on internet jokes, memes, or culturally significant figures. They are generally very volatile and their prices fall as quickly as they rise in value.
U.S. copyright law allows you to retain the rights to a character for 95 years. Steamboat Willie marks the first appearance of the iconic cartoon rat in a 1928 American animated short film directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks.
Even though the 1928 version of Mickey Mouse has now entered the public domain, Disney said it “will continue to protect our rights to newer versions of Mickey Mouse and other copyrighted works.”
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.
Stay up to date with cryptocurrency news and receive daily updates in your inbox.
