A vast array of iconic artistic works will enter the public domain in the United States. This includes literary masterpieces like Ernest Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms” and beloved cartoon characters such as Popeye the Sailor. Thousands of works will be available for public use, marking a significant expansion of the country’s cultural commons.
The transition into the public domain is made possible by US copyright law, which stipulates that copyrights expire after 95 years for books, films, and other artistic works. Additionally, sound recordings from 1924 will also become copyright-free, allowing for greater access and creative reuse of these cultural treasures.
As these iconic works enter the public domain, they become freely available for anyone to copy, share, reproduce, or adapt without needing to obtain permission or pay royalties to the original rights holders. This opens up new opportunities for creative reuse and reinterpretation of these beloved characters and stories.
This year’s batch of newly public domain works features a diverse range of cultural icons, including the intrepid comic book hero Tintin, who first appeared in a Belgian newspaper in 1929. Another notable addition is Popeye the Sailor, the beloved cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar.
Each December, the Center for the Study of the Public Domain, based at Duke University School of Law in North Carolina, releases a comprehensive list of cultural works that will enter the public domain in the upcoming year. The list is made publicly available on the center’s website, allowing anyone to access and explore the newly copyright-free works.
The Center for the Study of the Public Domain has a history of welcoming iconic characters into the public domain. As center director Jennifer Jenkins noted on the center’s website, “In past years we have celebrated an exciting cast of public domain characters: the original Mickey Mouse and Winnie-the-Pooh, and the final iterations of Sherlock Holmes from Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories.”
“In 2025 copyright expires over more aspects of Mickey from his 1929 incarnations, along with the initial versions of Popeye and Tintin.” he added.
A notable influx of iconic literary works will enter the US public domain on January 1, enriching the cultural landscape. This esteemed group includes novels such as “The Sound and the Fury” by William Faulkner, “A Farewell to Arms” by Ernest Hemingway, “A Room of One’s Own” by Virginia Woolf, and the first English translation of Erich Maria Remarque’s powerful anti-war novel, “All Quiet on the Western Front”.
A treasure trove of iconic musical compositions from 1929 will enter the public domain, including the mesmerizing “Bolero” by Maurice Ravel and the timeless “An American in Paris” by George Gershwin. However, it’s worth noting that only the original compositions themselves will be copyright-free, while recordings of these works will remain under copyright unless they were made in 1924 or earlier.
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