The fight to use Mickey Mouse

Headlines From The Times

L.A. Times Studios

News, Daily News, Society & Culture, The Times, California

4.1 • 544 Ratings

🗓️ 11 May 2022

⏱️ 18 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 2024, Disney could lose the copyright on Mickey Mouse that it's held for a century. Conservatives want to let it happen — but Disney will fight back.

Transcript

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0:00.0	When you hear the word Disney, close your eyes, just think about it.
0:05.3	What's the first thing that pops into your brain?
0:08.8	I'm old, so it's not going to be the theme parks for me.
0:11.2	It's not going to be a princess like Elsa from Frozen or the Marvel Cinematic Universe
0:15.5	or Toy Story or any of that millennial crap.
0:18.6	It's going to be that high-pitched voice emanating from a very round head with nice, cute ears,
0:24.2	wearing red shorts and oversized yellow shoes.
0:27.1	I'm talking about Mickey Mouse.
0:28.4	M-I-C-E-W-M-O-U-N-O-U-S-E Mickey Mouse, of course
0:31.8	mascot for Disney going back to the days of, well, Walt himself,
0:36.5	but the copyright for that mouse that Disney has zealously guarded for decades,
0:40.3	it's set to expire in just two years.
0:46.3	That means Mickey would be in the public domain where anyone can do anything with him and all of his magic in fame.
0:50.0	A group of Republicans mad at some of Disney's stances on social issues recently
0:59.5	want that to happen.
1:03.4	But Disney, though, ain't got to let Mickey go without putting up a hell of a fight.
1:04.8	Music ain't got to let Mickey go without putting up a hell of a fight. I'm Gustav Ariano. You're listening to The Times, Daily News from the LA Times.
1:17.1	It's Wednesday, May 11, 2022. Today, the fight for who could actually use Mickey Mouse.
1:22.7	L.A. Times Travel Industry reporter Hugo Martine joins us now to make sense of this cartoon
1:30.4	conundrum.
1:34.5	Hugo, welcome to the Times.
1:35.6	Thanks for having me, Gustavo.
	...

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