Orlando attorney John Morgan says he took on the Mouse and won.
Morgan’s law firm is running an ad incorporating an adaptation of the nearly century-old “Steamboat Willie” Disney cartoon, but it didn’t happen without some high-profile legal drama.
In a podcast interview, Morgan, 69, said his firm’s headline-generating lawsuit against Disney succeeded, and he was given a green light to proceed with the commercial based off the groundbreaking animated short.
“After a few months, Disney agreed that I could run this commercial,” Morgan told the PBD podcast last month.
The 1928 “Steamboat Willie” animated short, featuring the official debut of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, entered the public domain in 2024, but Disney still holds trademark rights as well as copyright protections for later, more modern versions of the characters.
Morgan & Morgan filed a federal lawsuit in September, seeking a ruling that the ad wouldn’t violate Disney’s intellectual property rights. The firm previously tried to get confirmation from Disney that it wouldn’t object, but the company’s lawyers declined to provide legal advice on the commercial, according to the suit.
Morgan & Morgan dropped the suit in November, but court documents didn’t explain why.
Morgan offered his explanation on a business podcast hosted by Patrick Bet-David.
“I won,” Morgan told Bet-David.
Pressed on whether he won or settled, Morgan responded, “It’s running.”
Morgan & Morgan’s 37-second, black-and-white ad shows a Minnie Mouse-type character calling the law firm after Mickey Mouse crashes a boat into her car. It includes a disclaimer that the ad was not approved, authorized or endorsed by Disney.
Morgan & Morgan hasn’t revealed how often the ad has run so far, when it will run in the future or on which platforms. It appeared during the Dec. 6 televised college football matchup between Indiana University and Ohio State University.
Disney vowed in a company statement to continue to defend its intellectual property rights, but it hasn’t discussed the specifics of the case.
“Disney remains committed to guarding against unlawful copyright and trademark infringement to avoid consumer confusion caused by unauthorized uses of Mickey Mouse and our other iconic characters,” the statement read.
Disney declined Friday to comment on Morgan’s remarks about the suit.
In the podcast interview, Morgan mentioned his brother, Tim Morgan, who suffered a severe spinal cord injury in 1977 while working as a lifeguard at Walt Disney World.
Morgan has cited his brother’s injury and Disney’s refusal to settle the case as the inspiration behind his personal injury firm, now widely recognized as the largest in the country. That also prompted him to pursue using the Disney cartoon in his ad.
“I came back,” Morgan said, recalling his frustration with Disney at the time. “I didn’t forget. I am like Trump — retribution.”
