Florida Law Firm Drags Disney To Court Over ‘Steamboat Willie’ Use

Mickey’s century-old steamboat finds itself in hot water, as Orlando-based law firm Morgan & Morgan has filed a lawsuit (published online by Reuters) against Disney, asking a judge to confirm that it can use imagery from Steamboat Willie in its advertising without facing legal backlash from the media giant.

At the heart of the dispute is the 1928 short that marked the public debut of Mickey and Minnie Mouse. The film entered the U.S. public domain at the start of 2024, opening the door for artists, companies, fans, and animation websites to reuse the black-and-white classic without Disney’s permission. Morgan & Morgan wants to do just that in a tongue-in-cheek commercial where Mickey crashes a boat into Minnie’s car, prompting her to call the law firm.

But things aren’t always as black-and-white as the classic short at the center of this case. While the copyright expired, Disney still holds trademarks for Mickey and Minnie, which the company argues protect the characters’ brand identity. Those rights don’t vanish just because a film hits the public domain. And Disney has a track record of enforcing them; just this summer, the company sued a jewelry company for selling pieces featuring Steamboat Willie characters.

Morgan & Morgan says it reached out to Disney in July to avoid conflict, sharing a preview of its planned ad and pointing out the clear disclaimers distancing the firm from Disney. Disney replied, but stopped short of assuring the firm it wouldn’t take action. That uncertainty, paired with Disney’s recent enforcement efforts, inspired the M&M lawsuit.

The case now asks the court to decide whether using Steamboat Willie imagery for services unrelated to entertainment, especially with prominent disclaimers, falls safely within public-domain use, or if Disney’s trademarks still cast a shadow over how far others can go.

For the animation world, the outcome could signal how much creative freedom actually comes with the long-awaited public domain status of Steamboat Willie and a raft of other iconic characters set to hit the public domain in the coming years.