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Title: SCP-1928-KO - Disney Does Its Best at Copyright Protection

Author: Ginger butter

Translator: fluxman

Foreword: All "Mickey Mouse" refers to the Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willie, which entered the public domain on January 1st, 2024. Walt Disney Company owns the rights to Mickey Mouse otherwise. Please note for CCL compliance.

The contents of this article are purely fictional.

This is an entry for the Second Mentor-Mentee Contest, and my first ever article. Thanks to my mentor, LR0725, for his criticism and guidance.

license:

Filename: Mickey_1928.jpg

Author: Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks

License: public domain

Source Link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mickey_Mouse_-_Steamboat_Willie_(1928).jpg

Filename: Mickey_in_Cave.png

Author: EU, Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks, Ginger butter

License: CC BY-SA 3.0

Source Link: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lascaux_painting.jpg, Made myself using image https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Earlypete.jpg and GIMP.

"Mickey Mouse" in "Steamboat Willie"

Item #: SCP-1928-KO

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-1928-KO has not been discovered since December 26th, 1976. If a suspected SCP-1928-KO phenomenon occurs, it should be reported to Director Fleisher.

Description: SCP-1928-KO is an anomalous phenomenon related to 'Mickey Mouse,' the anthropomorphised black-and-white cartoon character in the 1928 Walt Disney Company production "Steamboat Willie". SCP-1928-KO causes Mickey Mouse to be inserted into records such as photos, drawings, and literature. This phenomenon can occur even in records with high religious or cultural value. Even if SCP-1928-KO disrupts the context of these records, observers do not find the phenomenon unnatural. When SCP-1928-KO affects historical records, it can make viewers believe that Mickey Mouse was created or existed during that period. However, SCP-1928-KO only makes observers perceive the presence of Mickey Mouse as natural; it is distinct from reality alteration or temporal anomalies.

Addendum 01: Recordings with suspected connections with SCP-1928-KO manifestation.

On February 14th, 1976, Gary B. Hughes attempted to produce and screen an independent "Mouse Paradise" film featuring Mickey Mouse. However, The Walt Disney Company filed a copyright lawsuit against him. On the 17th of the same month, the following letter was sent to The Walt Disney Company:

Do you think Mickey Mouse will be yours forever?

Drop the case right now. The deadline is the 24th.

If you don't, I will force it away from you.

- G.B.H

Walt Disney Company did not drop the lawsuit, and the movie was banned from screening. The Federal Court fined Gary B. Hughes 5,000 dollars.

On February 26th, 1976, Walt Disney Company received the following letter.

Oh, so you going to be like this, huh?

On the 28th of the same month, the first SCP-1928-KO incident occurred. Due to SCP-1928-KO, a photograph taken by Walt Disney in 1920 had Mickey Mouse inserted into it. At the time, the copyright expiration period in the United States was 56 years from the creation date, meaning Mickey Mouse's copyright would have expired in 1977. However, The Walt Disney Company lobbied to amend the law to extend the copyright to 64 years from the creation date.

Addendum 02: SCP-1928-KO manifestations and Walt Disney Company's responses.

SCP-1928-KO manifestation: In a 1920 photograph, Mickey Mouse was inserted inside a painting drawn by Walt Disney.

Walt Disney Company's response: Lobbied to amend the law to protect copyright 64 years after creation.

SCP-1928-KO manifestation: Mickey Mouse was inserted in a doodle drawn by Walt Disney in a 1910 photograph.

Walt Disney Company's response: Lobbied to amend the law to protect copyright 75 years after creation.

SCP-1928-KO manifestation: Mickey Mouse was inserted in a sculpture made by Walt Disney in a photograph of Disney himself in 1901.

Walt Disney Company's response: Lobbied to amend the law to protect copyright 95 years after creation.

SCP-1928-KO manifestation: Mickey Mouse was inserted in a tattoo on the arm of Elias Disney1 in a photograph taken in 1896.

Walt Disney Company's response: Lobbied to amend the law to allow automatic copyright inheritance to their second-born, even if they did not mention it in their will.

SCP-1928-KO manifestation: Mickey Mouse was interted in the helmet of Otto Von Bismarck taken in 1871

Walt Disney Company's response: Pointed out that the complete form of Mickey Mouse cannot be seen due to the angle. Federal Court approved that the photograph of Elias Disney was the first ever photograph of Mickey Mouse.

SCP-1928-KO manifestation: Hans Christian Andersen's 1843 children's tale "The Ugly Duckling" was retitled "The Ugly Mouselet" and changed its content to include Mickey Mouse being bullied by his siblings.

Walt Disney Company's response: The company Bought all publishers of "The Ugly Duckling." The company's magic department applied a thaumaturgic anti-childhood censorship method, turning the book's contents blank when read by a person over the age of 13. All federal court members were over 13, and they were not able to interpret the changed contents of the book.

SCP-1928-KO manifestation: Jonathan Swift is seen wearing a backpack with a logo depicting Mickey Mouse in a portrait drawn in 1710.

Walt Disney Company's response: Lobbied to amend the law, allowing the permanent continuation of copyright for anthropomorphised mouse characters with "Mickey" in its name, as long as the copyright holder's bloodline continued. The family tree of Elias Disney, an Irish immigrant, was manipulated to make him the direct descendant of Jonathan Swift.

SCP-1928-KO manifestation: Mickey Mouse was inserted in the 1633 painting "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee" by Rembrandt van Rijn.

Walt Disney Company's response: Snuck employees into the museum and stole the picture. All recordings mentioning "The Storm on the Sea of Galilee" were destroyed.

SCP-1928-KO manifestation: Mickey Mouse wearing his trousers replaced Adam in the 1508-1512 painting, "The Creation of Adam"2 by Michelangelo.

Walt Disney Company's response: The magic department applied a cognitohazard on the name "Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni", making the public believe his name was actually "Michelangelo di Sni Buonarroti Simoni". Subsequently, they created the notion that Walt Disney was the lawful successor of Michelangelo.

SCP-1928-KO manifestation: In a 12th-century document about the Crusades, "Mickey Mouse siding with the heretics" was mentioned, and a picture of him in a battle against Richard I can be seen.

Walt Disney Company's response: They snuck employees into the archives and overwritten the contents of a book published in the late 16th century, successfully proving that "The Creation of Adam" predates the document.

SCP-1928-KO manifestation: The bust of Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa sculpted around 1C BCE was replaced to that of the face of Mickey Mouse.

Walt Disney Company's response: Pointed out that the bust depicted only Mickey Mouse's face and that he was not wearing a hat. The federal court accepted this point and ruled that all copyrights, except for "Mickey Mouse depicted with just his face and without a hat," were recognised as Disney's property.

SCP-1928-KO manifestation: Osiris judging the dead was replaced with Mickey Mouse in "Book of the Dead", written in ancient Egypt.

Walt Disney Company's response: Religious texts were classified as novels through a worldwide campaign. The company bought the copyright of the part in the book mentioning Mickey Mouse from the Egyptian government.

SCP-1928-KO manifestation: One of the Indus Valley Civilisation pictograms were replaced with the shape of Mickey Mouse.

Walt Disney Company's response: All recordings of the Indus Valley Civilisation containing the pictogram were destroyed.

No further SCP-1928-KO manifestations were observed as of November 8th 1976.

On December 26th, 1976, another manifestation of SCP-1928-KO was observed. See Addendum 03.

+Addendum 03

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Lascaux Caves painting

Walt Disney Company did not respond.

Mickey Mouse entered the public domain.

+Addendum 04

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The following are the box office results for "Mouse Paradise," screened in over 20 theatres in 1977 after the copyright issues were resolved.

Date
Audience

Feb. 16
51

Feb. 17
22

Feb. 18
12

Feb. 19
3

Feb. 20
7

Feb. 21
Removed from screen due to low audience count.

Investigations showed that the Walt Disney Company did not commit any sabotage.

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Footnotes

1. Walt Disney's father

2. More commonly known as "The Creation of Man"