Copyright protection for the cartoon character “Mickey Mouse” expires in the USA at the end of 2023. For this reason, in this episode, research associates Klaus Palenberg and Nicolas John look at the copyright protection periods for German and international works. In addition to the principles of German copyright law, the various international treaties are also discussed and applied to the copyright protection of Mickey Mouse.
An information letter on this topic can be found here.
Note: The musical excerpt is from the animated film “Steamboat Willie” by Walt Disney, available at
uni.ms/54gek
; the music from the movie was composed by Wilfred Jackson and Bert Lewis.
