Steamboat Willie – For The People? On January 1, 2024 the copyright for the 1928 Steamboat Willie expired and made Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse available for public use. America’s largest law firm, Morgan & Morgan filed a lawsuit against Disney in Central Florida court. The filing states that Morgan & Morgan reached out to Disney’s Legal department to find out if they could use Steamboat Willie in their commercial without Disney suing them. Disney’s lawyers responded by saying they didn’t offer legal advice to third parties, according to the lawsuit. Morgan & Morgan is asking for a declaratory judgment from the court, which would be a ruling stating that their proposed advertisement does not violate Disney’s trademark rights.
Morgan & Morgan gave their plan for the commercial. The commercial would be a black-and-white animated ad , a voiceover announcer starts and ends the commercial by saying that Disney didn’t approve or authorize the advertisement. The ad shows Mickey captaining a boat on land that crashes into a car driven by Minnie, who then pulls out her phone and contacts the law firm.
Morgan & Morgan was founded by John and Ultima Morgan in 1988. Their purpose is inspired by John’s brother, Tim, who was paralyzed in a workplace accident. The insurance companies left his family with too little to cover his care. John vowed to fight for other families like theirs—and Morgan & Morgan was born. Morgan & Morgan has grown into America’s largest injury law firm with 125 offices nationwide.
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