Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
FREE WILLIE download + Certificate of Liberation: store.stuartsemple.com/collections/free-willie
British artist Stuart Semple explains why Disney is the only company banned from using his Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse artwork. The original 1928 Mickey Mouse finally entered the public domain on 1 January 2024 and Semple is celebrating by releasing a free downloadable Mickey + full legal Certificate of Liberation that lets anyone except Disney use the artwork however they like.
In this video, Semple breaks down Disney’s decades-long copyright battle, the Sonny Bono “Mickey Mouse Protection Act,” and why the original Steamboat Willie Mickey should have been public domain back in 1984. He also explains how this project fits into his wider artistic practice championing creative freedom, from Pinkest Pink and Robin’s Egg Blue to hacking Pantone and fighting the estate of Yves Klein.
If you want to know how the public domain works, why Steamboat Willie matters, or how to legally remix Mickey Mouse in your own artwork, this video covers everything.
Download the free artwork, get your Certificate of Liberation, and join the cultural liberation movement.
Topics in this video:
• Mickey Mouse public domain 2024
• Disney copyright extension history
• Why Steamboat Willie matters
• How artists can legally use original Mickey
• How the Certificate of Liberation works
• Copyright activism and conceptual art
• Stuart Semple vs Disney
LINKS
Free download + licence: store.stuartsemple.com/collections/free-willie/products/free-willie-digital-download
Original paintings available here: store.stuartsemple.com/collections/free-willie/products/free-willie-original-painting
ABOUT STUART SEMPLE
Stuart Semple is a British conceptual artist whose work has been shown in major museums internationally. His large-scale performance pieces champion creative freedom and artists’ rights. He famously banned Anish Kapoor from using the Pinkest Pink, liberated Tiffany Blue, hacked Pantone, and battled the estate of Yves Klein. Hundreds of thousands of artists use his colours and materials worldwide.
QUESTION FOR YOU:
Now Mickey is free, what will you make with him? Tell me in the comments.
#StuartSemple #MickeyMouse #SteamboatWillie #PublicDomain #FreeMickey #Disney #ArtistsRights #Copyright #ConceptualArt
FREE WILLIE download + Certificate of Liberation: store.stuartsemple.com/collections/free-willie
British artist Stuart Semple explains why Disney is the only company banned from using his Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse artwork. The original 1928 Mickey Mouse finally entered the public domain on 1 January 2024 and Semple is celebrating by releasing a free downloadable Mickey + full legal Certificate of Liberation that lets anyone except Disney use the artwork however they like.
In this video, Semple breaks down Disney’s decades-long copyright battle, the Sonny Bono “Mickey Mouse Protection Act,” and why the original Steamboat Willie Mickey should have been public domain back in 1984. He also explains how this project fits into his wider artistic practice championing creative freedom, from Pinkest Pink and Robin’s Egg Blue to hacking Pantone and fighting the estate of Yves Klein.
If you want to know how the public domain works, why Steamboat Willie matters, or how to legally remix Mickey Mouse in your own artwork, this video covers everything.
Download the free artwork, get your Certificate of Liberation, and join the cultural liberation movement.
Topics in this video:
• Mickey Mouse public domain 2024
• Disney copyright extension history
• Why Steamboat Willie matters
• How artists can legally use original Mickey
• How the Certificate of Liberation works
• Copyright activism and conceptual art
• Stuart Semple vs Disney
LINKS
Free download + licence: store.stuartsemple.com/collections/free-willie/products/free-willie-digital-download
Original paintings available here: store.stuartsemple.com/collections/free-willie/products/free-willie-original-painting
ABOUT STUART SEMPLE
Stuart Semple is a British conceptual artist whose work has been shown in major museums internationally. His large-scale performance pieces champion creative freedom and artists’ rights. He famously banned Anish Kapoor from using the Pinkest Pink, liberated Tiffany Blue, hacked Pantone, and battled the estate of Yves Klein. Hundreds of thousands of artists use his colours and materials worldwide.
QUESTION FOR YOU:
Now Mickey is free, what will you make with him? Tell me in the comments.
#StuartSemple #MickeyMouse #SteamboatWillie #PublicDomain #FreeMickey #Disney #ArtistsRights #Copyright #ConceptualArt
