Florida’s largest law firm, Morgan & Morgan, has filed a lawsuit asking a judge to declare their use of Disney’s Steamboat Willie is protected against trademark claims.
Morgan & Morgan Steamboat Willie Ad
The planned Morgan & Morgan advertisement sees Mickey Mouse in the Steamboat Willie boat getting in a collision with a car driven by Minnie. She then dials #LAW (that’s all) to hire Morgan & Morgan, getting a bag of cash from Mickey at the end of the ad. It contains visual and verbal disclaimers stating it is not connected to Disney.
According to News 6, Morgan & Morgan contacted Disney before airing the ad for assurance the media company wouldn’t take legal action against them. Disney did not comply.
Morgan & Morgan filed the suit in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. They are seeking a declaratory judgement stating their ad doesn’t infringe on Disney’s trademark rights or other intellectual property laws, hoping to avoid being sued by Disney if they do go forward with the Steamboat Willie ad.
See the ad in the News 6 video below.
Steamboat Willie
Steamboat Willie, the first animated short featuring both Mickey and Minnie, entered public domain on January 1, 2024. But Disney is still being litigious about their most important character. The day after Morgan & Morgan contacted Disney, the company sued Hong Kong jewelry company Satéur over their use of Mickey (via AP).
A Disney spokesperson said in a statement when Steamboat Willie entered public domain, “More modern versions of Mickey will remain unaffected by the expiration of the Steamboat Willie copyright, and Mickey will continue to play a leading role as a global ambassador for the Walt Disney Company in our storytelling, theme park attractions, and merchandise. We will, of course, continue to protect our rights in the more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright.”
Earlier this year, a Steamboat Willie-inspired horror movie, Screamboat, was released.
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