ChatGPT image generator blocks Steamboat Willie despite public domain status since 2024
Popular_Try_5075 · reddit · 2026-09-05
The 1928 Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse has been in the public domain since 2024, yet ChatGPT's image generator blocks every request around it. A user couldn't generate new versions, upscale, or colorize even the Wikimedia Foundation's public-domain celebration image.
- ChatGPT, shown a Duke Law article, confirmed the character is public domain and explained why at length
- It then suggested 10 categories of prompt phrasings to avoid tripping the filter — all failed
- Even a generic, model-generated prompt (1920s-style animation screencap of a mouse riverboat captain) was refused
The post highlights an over-conservative content filter that contradicts the model's own legal analysis and advice.
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