Disney faces legal battle with Morgan & Morgan over Steamboat Willie

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Is Steamboat Willie “For the people?”

That’s a question that one of the largest personal injury law firms in the United States is asking a federal court in central Florida to decide.

The law firm Morgan & Morgan, known for its tagline, “For the people,” in its ubiquitous television commercials, sued Disney on Wednesday in an effort to get a ruling that would allow it to use “Steamboat Willie” in advertisements. “Steamboat Willie” was a groundbreaking 1928 animated short film directed by Walt Disney in which Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse made their first public appearances.

The law firm said that the U.S. copyright expired last year for “Steamboat Willie,” which was a lodestar for U.S. film animation at the time, and that it had reached out to Disney to make sure the entertainment company wouldn’t sue them if they used images from the animated film for their TV and online ads. Disney’s lawyers responded by saying they didn’t offer legal advice to third parties, according to the lawsuit.

Morgan & Morgan said it was filing the lawsuit to get a decision because it otherwise feared being sued by Disney for trademark infringement if it used “Steamboat Willie.”

Disney didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday evening.

In the black-and-white animated ad that Morgan & Morgan wants to air, a voiceover announcer starts and ends the commercial by saying that Disney didn’t approve or authorize the advertisement. The ad shows Mickey captaining a boat on land that crashes into a car driven by Minnie, who then pulls out her phone and contacts the law firm.

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