Mickey Mouse enters public domain for the first time
TheStreet’s J.D., Durkin brings you the biggest news of the day, including what Wall Street is watching and Disney’s biggest icon becomes public domain.
Transcript
00:00 I'm JD Durkin reporting from the New York Stock Exchange.
00:03 Here's a look at what we are watching on the street today.
00:05 Stocks are kicking off the new year on a bit of a lower note after a strong 2023, which
00:10 saw all three major averages end in positive territory.
00:14 Investors are a bit skittish as tech stocks slide after analysts downgraded Apple on iPhone
00:19 demand concerns.
00:21 Investors are also looking ahead to the December jobs report.
00:23 It's due out on Friday morning.
00:25 It will give Wall Street a clearer picture of the labor market as 2024 officially kicks
00:30 off.
00:31 In other news, one of the most iconic characters of all time now belongs to, well, everyone.
00:36 The original version of Disney's Mickey Mouse officially entered public domain on January
00:41 1st.
00:42 Appearing for the first time in the film Steamboat Willie all the way back in 1928, Mickey Mouse
00:47 has become the face of the Disney empire.
00:50 The US copyright law allows a copyright to be held for 95 years and the House of Mouse
00:55 lost its sole ownership over the character.
00:58 However, the company told CNN that while you might start seeing more of Mickey, there are
01:03 still some restrictions in place.
01:06 Disney said in a statement, "More modern versions of Mickey will remain unaffected by the expiration
01:11 of the Steamboat Willie copyright.
01:13 The current Mickey boasts gloves, oversized shoes, and differently shaped eyes than the
01:18 original."
01:20 But Mickey is not the only animated icon to recently enter public domain.
01:23 In 2022, the copyright to the original Winnie the Pooh expired, leading to the 2023 horror
01:30 film Winnie the Pooh, Blood and Honey.
01:33 That will do it for your daily briefing.
01:35 From the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, I'm JD Durkin with the Street.
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