Disney and the Copyright on Mickey Mouse

In March 1998 Walt Disney Company chairman and CEO Michael D. Eisner visited the U.S. Congress in Washington, D.C., in search of a solution to one of Disney's most pressing problems: the expiration of the copyright for Disney's iconic character Mickey Mouse.

Under current law, Disney's copyright would expire in 2003, seventy-five years after the cartoon Steamboat Willie brought the animated mouse to life. The expiration of copyrights for Pluto and Goofy would follow quickly—in 2006 and 2008, respectively—with the end of protection for Dumbo, Donald Duck, Bambi, Snow White, and the Seven Dwarfs not far behind. The expirations meant that Disney would no longer be able to charge fees for the screening of movies in which these characters appeared; moreover, other companies would be able to use these characters in their movies, videos, and other offerings.

Eisner saw a potential solution to Disney's problem in H.R. 2589, known as the Copyright Term Extension Bill, which was being debated by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill would extend copyright protection for twenty years, which would grant Disney another generation of exclusive rights and billions of dollars of revenue.

However, an unfavorable amendment to the bill had been proposed and consumer and other groups had already expressed their opposition to its passage. Eisner and his team needed to decide on a strategy to protect the value of Disney's assets.