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Maybe only in trade classes where original-style Mickey Mouse is not asserted as trademark.

You can make derivative cartoons with Steamboat-Willie-era Mickey Mouse, but you can't distribute them in commerce without a few legal precautions, as Disney asserts the Mickey Mouse image as a trademark with respect to int'l trade class 41 (entertainment). It's no longer a copyright violation, but a trademark infringement.

You can't do it in such a way that creates the possibility that someone might confuse your derivative work for a genuine Disney-branded entertainment product. So it might be as simple as plastering a disclaimer over the intro to your cartoon that informs all viewers that the following is video is derived from a public domain work, and is not associated with Disney. But don't count on that saving you from the flesh-eating lawyers.



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