Content creators on YouTube are still receiving copyright claims for using footage from Disney’s Steamboat Willie in their videos, despite the property entering the public domain.
Steamboat Willie officially entered the public domain in January this year, spawning all kinds of spins on the iconic Disney character, including a horror movie.
But while Steamboat Willie now exists in the public domain, it doesn’t mean folks have totally free reign over usage of the character, or the cartoon itself.
As one creator discovered when his parody video of the Disney cartoon received a copyright claim via YouTube’s ContentID system.
Very cool. pic.twitter.com/t54ml3foJc
— Brock Baker (@BrockBaker) January 4, 2024
Voice Actor Brock Baker first received a copyright claim against his video on January 4, posting a screenshot of the notice to his Twitter. The claim was later released by Disney, leading many to assume it was perhaps some sort of oversight.
However, Baker then received a second copyright claim for the music in his video. Technically, this claim came from UMG, or Universal Music Group. UGM is also able to make claims against the use of Steamboat Willie thanks to their ownership of its soundtrack. However, this claim was also later released.
But Baker was not the only YouTuber to be hit with a copyright claim for posting Steamboat Willie. YouTube personality and animation aficionado, Vailskibum, posted a video about his experience with Steamboat Willie copyright claims too.
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In his video, he explains that while Disney was allowing his video to be viewed on YouTube, it was still subject to demonetization. In Vailskibum’s case, this isn’t a problem. Considering he uploaded the video without making any changes to it, mostly as an experiment to see if he’d also get hit with a copyright claim.
A copyright claim is different from a DMCA. A DMCA is an official take-down notice, where the material will have to be removed by YouTube. A copyright claim instead allows the copyright holder to limit how the video can be engaged with, including whether it can be used to make money, and where in the world it can be seen.
But for creators like Baker, intending to create comedic adaptations or other narratives using the cartoon as part of their livelihoods, it seems like it might be more complicated.
There’s a lot of complex legal reasons for this. Not least of all because Mickey Mouse exists as a trademark, and because later versions of the character remain the property of Disney.
Considering there’s never been a character as recognizable as Mickey Mouse enter the public domain before, it’s bound to take a while to iron out the kinks.