South Africa, Nov. 17 -- In July 2025, The Walt Disney Company (Disney) filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles federal court against Red Earth Group t/a Sateur (Sateur), a Hong Kong-based jewellery company. The dispute centres on Sateur's "Mickey 1928 Collection" - a range of jewellery depicting the version of Mickey featured in Steamboat Willie - imagery that Disney claims shines a little too brightly with its own intellectual property (IP).

While Steamboat Willie sailed into the public domain in 2024, allowing free use, reproduction and adaptation, Disney argues that Sateur's use of Mickey infringes its trade marks and could mislead consumers into thinking the products are officially licensed - potentially dulling the lustre of the company's...