The first Mickey Mouse film, "SteamBoat Willie," was itself a parody of a Buster Keaton film "Steamboat Bill Jr." (parody being a form of fair use).

Under current policy, there will never be another Disney Corporation that was able to create derivative characters and stories based upon content whose copyright has expired because the availability or materials to use from the public domain stopped essentially in the 1930s.

In 1998, Copyright was up for it's last copyright term extension, from life +50 years to life +70 years.  Disney’s Mickey Mouse copyright had accounted for up to $8 billion in revenue in 1998 when they were lobbying for copyright extension.

1. Adventures of Huck Finn (1993) based on Mark Twain's  book (1885) Revenue = $24.1 million (revenue figures listed where available - based on wikipedia data). 2. Tom and Huck (1995) based on The Adventures of Tom Sawyer  by Mark Twain (1876) Revenue = $23.9 million 3. Aladdin (1992) from a folk tale in One Thousand and One Nights (1706) Revenue = $504 million 4. Alice in Wonderland (1951) based on Lewis Carroll's book (1865) 5. Alice in Wonderland (2010) based on Lewis Carroll's book (1865) Revenue = $1.02 billion 6. Around the World in 80 Days (2004) based on Jules Verne's book (1873) Revenue = $72.2 million 7. Atlantis (2001) from the Legend of Atlantis (Socratic Dialogues “Timaeus” & “Critias” by Plato ~360 BC.) 8. Beauty and the Beast (1991) by G-S Barbot de Villeneuve's book (1775) Revenue = $425 million 9. Bug’s Life (1998) from Aesop’s Fables Revenue = $363.4 million 10. Cinderella (1950) from Charles Perrault's folk tale (Grimm’s Fairy Tails) (1697) Revenue = $85 million 11. Chicken Little  (2005) from the folk tale Revenue = $314.4 million 12. Christmas Carol (2009) from Charles Dickens (1843) Revenue = $325.3 million 13. Fantasia (1940) scored and based on Bach, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven & other classical compositions (however, “ The Rite Of Spring” was licensed) Revenue = $83.3 million (22nd highest-grossing film of all time as adjusted for inflation) 14. Fantasia 2000 (1999) Revenue = $90.9 million 15. Frozen (2013) from Hans Christian Anderson’s Ice Queen (1845) Revenue = $810.3 million 16. Hercules (1997) from the Greek myth Revenue = $252.7 million 17. In Search of the Castaways (1962) based on Jules Verne novel (1868) Revenue = $21.7 million 18. John Carter (2012) based on A Princess of Mars  by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1917) Revenue = $284 million 19. Kidnapped (1960) by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886) 20. Little Mermaid (1989) by Hans Christian Anderson (1837) Revenue = $211.3 million 21. Lt. Robin Crusoe U.S.N. (1966) based on Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (1719) Revenue = $22.5 million 22. Mulan (1998) from the Chinese Legend of Hua Mulan Revenue = $304.3 million 23. Oliver & Company (1988) based on Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (1839) Revenue = $74 million  24. Return to Neverland (2002) based on Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (1904) Revenue = $109.9 million 25. Pinocchio (1940) by Carlo Collodi (1883) Revenue = $84.3 million (39th highest grossing box office gross as adjusted for inflation) 26. Pocahontas (1995) from the life and legend of Pocahontas Revenue = $346 million 27. Princess and the Frog (2009) from the Brothers Grimm folk tale The Frog Prince Revenue = $267 million 28. Return to Oz (1985) from L. Frank Baum’s books (When original Oz film was made it was under copyright. Disney purchased rights to all the books. But when Return to Oz was made it had entered the public domain.) 29. Rob Roy the Highland Rogue (1953) based on the Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott (1817) 30. Robin Hood (1973) from the English folk tales Revenue = $87 million 31. Sorcerer’s Apprentice (2010) from the poem by Johann Goethe (1797) Revenue = $236.9 million 32. Snow White (1937) from the Brothers Grimm folk tale (1857) Revenue = $416 million (10th highest grossing film as adjusted for inflation) 33. Sleeping Beauty (1959) from the Charles Perrault folk tale (1697) (also with music/characters from Tchaikovsky’s 1890 ballet) Revenue = $51.6 million) (31st highest grossing film as adjusted for inflation) 34. Swiss Family Robinson (1960) by Johann David Wyss (1812) Revenue = $40 million (83d highest grossing film as adjusted) 35. Tangled (2010) from the Brothers’ Grimm fairy tale Rapunzel (1812) Revenue = $591.8 million 36. Tarzan (1999) from Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1914) Revenue = $448.2 million 37. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) based on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving (1820) and Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (1908) 38. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) from Victor Hugo’s Book (1831) Revenue = $325.4 million 39. The Lion King (1994) from Hamlet (1603) and inspired from a 1960s Japanese animated series called Kimba the White Lion Revenue = $987.5 million 40. The Jungle Book (1967) by Rudyard Kipling (1894 copyright, movie released just one year after copyright expired) Revenue = $205.8 million (30th highest grossing film with inflation) 41. The Jungle Book (1994 live action version) by Rudyard Kipling (1894) Revenue = $43 million 42. Three Musketeers (1993) by Alexandre Dumas (1844) Revenue = $53.9 million 43. The Reluctant Dragon (1941) based on the story by Kenneth Grahame (1898). 44. The Sword in the Stone (1963) from the Arthurian Legends Revenue = $22.2 million 45. Treasure Planet (20002) based on Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (1883) Revenue = $109.6 million 46. Muppet Treasure Island (1996) based on Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (1883) Revenue = $34.4 million 47. Treasure Island (1950) based on Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (1883) 48. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) by Jules Verne (1870) Revenue = $28.2 million 49. White Fang (1991) by Jack London (1906) Revenue = $34.8 million 50. White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf (1994) based on book by Jack London (1906) Revenue =  $8.8 million (Find an error? Tweet me at @DerekKhanna or join the Medium conversation).

rect cartoon parody of Steamboat Bill,2and both are built upon a com-mon song as a source. It is not just fromthe invention of synchronizedsound in The Jazz Singerthat we get Steamboat Willie.It is also fromBuster Keaton’s invention of Steamboat Bill, Jr., itself inspired by thesong “Steamboat Bill,” that we get Steamboat Willie, and then fromSteamboat Willie, Mickey Mouse.This “borrowing” was nothing

South(1946),Cinderella(1950),Alice in Wonderland(1951),Robin Hood(1952),Peter Pan(1953),Lady and the Tramp

By the mid-20th century, Congress had doubled the maximum term to 56 years.

Copyright holders like the Disney Corp. and the Gershwin estate have a strong incentive to try to extend copyright extension yet further into the future. But with the emergence of the Internet as a political organizing tool, opponents of copyright extension will be much better prepared. The question for the coming legislative battle on copyright is who will prevail: those who would profit from continuing to lock up the great works of the 20th century, or those who believe Bugs Bunny should be as freely available for reuse as Little Red Riding Hood.

But 15 years ago this Sunday, President Clinton signed the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act, which retroactively extended copyright protection. As a result, the great creative output of the 20th century, from Superman to "Gone With the Wind" to Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue," were locked down for an extra 20 years.

The big question now is whether incumbent copyright holders will try to get yet another extension of copyright terms before works begin falling into the public domain again on January 1, 2019.