You&#x27;ve missed the point, which is that even if the copyright expired on Mickey, Disney might have another legal option to protect him, as explained at the end of the article.<p>But I think as someone else suggested, the reason they care is because of not just Mickey, but their back catalogue of other material which may not fall under that same brand protection. And because Disney doesn&#x27;t know any better than to continue their campaign of paying people off to get their precious copyright extensions. It&#x27;s what they do.<p>Public domain works are an important creative incentive for new works and increased availability of art. Old and new Art enriches our culture, is a source of wisdom and inspiration for young and old, and the more we have the better. We need a strong connection with out artistic past. Society is worse off for this Disney sponsored 100 year blind spot in our cultural rear mirrors.