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When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain . The following is a list of creators whose works enter the public domain in 2026. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
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With the exception of Belarus (Life + 50 years) and Spain (which has a copyright term of Life + 80 years for creators that died before 1987), a work enters the public domain in Europe 70 years after the creator's death, if it was published during the creator's lifetime. For previously unpublished material, those who publish it first will have the publication rights for 25 years. 2026 marks the first year since 2006 that works will enter the public domain in Australia, which changed its copyright term length from a "plus 50" law to a "plus 70" law in 2004. [1] The list is sorted alphabetically and includes a notable work of the creator that entered the public domain on 1 January 2026.
| Names | Country | Birth | Death | Occupation | Notable work |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Agee |  United States | 27 November 1909 | 16 May 1955 | Novelist, Journalist, Poet, Screenwriter | A Death in the Family |
| Silvio D'Amico |  Italy | 3 February 1887 | 1 April 1955 | Theatre theorist | |
| Ruby M. Ayres |  United Kingdom | 28 January 1881 | 14 November 1955 | Romance novelist | Bibliography |
| Johannes Baader |  Germany | 21 June 1875 | 14 January 1955 | Writer, Artist, Architect | |
| Lloyd Bacon | United States | 4 December 1889 | 15 November 1955 | Actor, Film director | Filmography as director |
| Guido Battelli | Italy | 24 September 1869 | 13 April 1955 | Writer | Works |
| Dale Carnegie | United States | 24 November 1888 | 1 November 1955 | Writer | How to Win Friends and Influence People |
| Pierre Teilhard de Chardin |  France | 1 May 1881 | 10 April 1955 | Jesuit priest, Scientist, Paleontologist, Theologian, Philosopher | The Phenomenon of Man |
| Eugenio Cirese | Italy | 21 February 1884 | 8 February 1955 | Poet | Works |
| Paul Claudel | France | 6 August 1868 | 23 February 1955 | Poet, Dramatist | Works |
| Donald Corley | United States | 8 June 1886 | 11 December 1955 | Short story author, illustrator, architect | |
| Alfredo Cuscinà | Italy | 30 November 1881 | 30 March 1955 | Composer | Main operettas |
| William C. deMille | United States | 25 July 1878 | 5 March 1955 | Screenwriter, Film director | Filmography |
| Isaak Dunayevsky |  Russia | 30 January 1900 | 25 July 1955 | Composer | Compositions |
| Albert Einstein | Germany United States | 14 March 1879 | 18 April 1955 | Theoretical physicist | Scientific publications, The Evolution of Physics , The Meaning of Relativity |
| George Enescu |  Romania | 19 August 1881 | 4 May 1955 | Composer | Compositions |
| Concha Espina |  Spain | 15 April 1879 | 19 May 1955 | Writer | Bibliography |
| Émile Fabre | France | 24 March 1869 | 25 September 1955 | Playwright | Plays |
| Joseph Jefferson Farjeon | United Kingdom | 4 June 1883 | 6 June 1955 | Novelist, Playwright, Screenwriter | Works |
| Alexander Fleming | United Kingdom | 6 August 1881 | 11 March 1955 | Physician | |
| José Ortega y Gasset | Spain | 9 May 1883 | 18 October 1955 | Philosopher, Essayist | Works |
| Rodolfo Graziani | Italy | 11 August 1882 | 11 January 1955 | General | Books |
| Arthur Honegger |  Switzerland | 10 March 1892 | 27 November 1955 | Composer | Compositions |
| Clemence Housman | United Kingdom | 23 November 1861 | 6 December 1955 | Author | |
| Jaime Ovalle |  Brazil | 5 August 1894 | 9 September 1955 | Composer | Works |
| James P. Johnson | United States | 1 February 1894 | 17 November 1955 | Composer, pianist | Charleston |
| Fernand Léger | France | 4 February 1881 | 17 August 1955 | Painter, Sculptor, Filmmaker | |
| Thomas Mann | Germany | 6 June 1875 | 12 August 1955 | Writer, Philanthropist, Essayist | Works |
| Francesco Balilla Pratella | Italy | 1 February 1880 | 17 May 1955 | Composer | Selected Works |
| Max Pechstein | Germany | 31 December 1881 | 29 June 1955 | Painter | |
| Robert Riskin | United States | 30 March 1897 | 20 September 1955 | Screenwriter, Playwright | Filmography |
| Nat Schachner | United States | 16 January 1895 | 2 October 1955 | Author and biographer | Space Lawyer |
| Robert E. Sherwood | United States | 4 April 1896 | 14 November 1955 | Screenwriter, Playwright | |
| Nicolas de Staël | France | 5 January 1914 | 16 March 1955 | Painter | |
| Al. T. Stamatiad | Romania | 9 May 1885 | December 1955 | Poet, Short story writer, Dramatist | |
| Wallace Stevens | United States | 2 October 1879 | 2 August 1955 | Poet | The Auroras of Autumn |
| Yves Tanguy | France | 5 January 1900 | 15 January 1955 | Painter | Paintings |
| Yevgeny Tarle | Russia | 27 October 1874 | 6 January 1955 | Historian | Napoleon's Invasion of Russia, 1812 |
| Tin Ujević |  Croatia | 5 July 1891 | 12 November 1955 | Poet | Works |
| Maurice Utrillo | France | 26 December 1883 | 5 November 1955 | Painter | |
| Anwar Wagdi |  Egypt | 11 October 1904 | 14 May 1955 | Director | The Flirtation of Girls |
| Léon Werth | France | 17 February 1878 | 13 December 1955 | Writer | Books |
| Hermann Weyl | Germany | 9 November 1885 | 8 December 1955 | Mathematician, Theoretical physicist, Philosopher | Bibliography |
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Spain has a copyright term of life + 80 years for creators that died before 1987. The list is sorted alphabetically and includes a notable work of the creator that entered the public domain on 1 January 2026.
| Names | Country | Birth | Death | Occupation | Notable work |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Béla Bartók |  Hungary | 25 March 1881 | 26 September 1945 | Composer | Compositions |
| Dietrich Bonhoeffer | Germany | 4 February 1906 | 9 April 1945 | Lutheran pastor, Theologian | The Cost of Discipleship |
| Theodore Dreiser | United States | 27 August 1871 | 28 December 1945 | Novelist, Journalist | Sister Carrie , An American Tragedy |
| Anne Frank | Germany | 12 June 1929 | February 1945 | Diarist | The Diary of a Young Girl |
| Zinaida Gippius | Russia | 20 November 1869 | 9 September 1945 | Poet, Playwright, Novelist | Bibliography |
| Adolf Hitler | Germany | 20 April 1889 | 30 April 1945 | Führer of Germany | Mein Kampf |
| Benito Mussolini | Italy | 29 July 1883 | 28 April 1945 | Prime Minister of Italy, Duce of Fascism | Writings |
| Kitaro Nishida |  Japan | 19 May 1870 | 7 June 1945 | Philosopher | Works |
| Franklin D. Roosevelt | United States | 30 January 1882 | 12 April 1945 | President of the United States | Looking Forward |
| Felix Salten |  Austria | 6 September 1869 | 8 October 1945 | Writer | Bambi, a Life in the Woods |
| Josep Maria Sert | Spain | 21 December 1874 | 27 November 1945 | Muralist | |
| Ignacio Zuloaga | Spain | 26 July 1870 | 24 June 1945 | Painter | |
| Franz Werfel | Austria  Czechia | 10 September 1890 | 26 August 1945 | Novelist, Playwright, Poet | The Forty Days of Musa Dagh |
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In Bangladesh, India, and Venezuela a work enters the public domain 60 years after the creator's death.
| Names | Country | Birth | Death | Occupation | Notable work |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahn Eak-tai |  South Korea | 5 December 1906 | 16 September 1965 | Composer | Aegukga , Symphonic Fantasy Korea |
| T. S. Eliot | United Kingdom, United States | 26 September 1888 | 4 January 1965 | Poet, Essayist, Playwright | Works |
| Syngman Rhee | South Korea | 26 March 1875 | 19 July 1965 | President of South Korea | The Spirit of Independence (독립정신) |
| | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (December 2021) |
In most countries of Africa and Asia, as well as Belarus, Bolivia, Canada, New Zealand, Egypt and Uruguay; a work enters the public domain 50 years after the creator's death.
| Names | Country | Birth | Death | Occupation | Notable work |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Akar |  Sierra Leone | 1927 | 1975 | Entertainer, writer, diplomat | High We Exalt Thee, Realm of the Free |
| Leroy Anderson | United States | 29 June 1908 | 18 May 1975 | Composer | Sleigh Ride , Blue Tango , The Typewriter , The Syncopated Clock |
| Ivo Andrić |  Yugoslavia | 9 October 1892 | 13 March 1975 | Writer, Poet | The Bridge on the Drina |
| Pablo Antonio |  Philippines | 25 January 1901 | 14 June 1975 | Architect | Ideal Theater, Life Theater, White Cross Orphanage, Capitan Luis Gonzaga Building |
| Hannah Arendt | Germany United States | 14 October 1906 | 4 December 1975 | Writer, Political philosopher | The Human Condition , Eichmann in Jerusalem |
| Mikhail Bakhtin | Russia | 16 November 1895 | 7 March 1975 | Philosopher | Works |
| Thomas Hart Benton | United States | 15 April 1889 | 19 January 1975 | Painter | |
| James Blish | United States | 23 May 1921 | 30 July 1975 | Writer | Cities in Flight , Star Trek novelizations |
| Arthur Bliss | United Kingdom | 2 August 1891 | 27 March 1975 | Composer | Compositions |
| Tim Buckley | United States | 14 February 1947 | 29 June 1975 | Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter | Discography |
| Luigi Dallapiccola | Italy | 3 February 1904 | 19 February 1975 | Composer | Compositions |
| Lefty Frizzell | United States | 31 March 1928 | 19 July 1975 | Singer, Songwriter | Discography |
| Konstantine Gamsakhurdia |  Georgia | 3 May 1893 | 17 July 1975 | Writer | The Right Hand of the Grand Master |
| Bernard Herrmann | United States | 29 July 1911 | 24 December 1975 | Composer | Film scores |
| Edna Mayne Hull |  Canada | 1 May 1905 | 20 January 1975 | SF author | Planets for Sale |
| Julian Huxley | United Kingdom | 22 June 1887 | 14 February 1975 | Evolutionary biologist | Works |
| Chiang Kai-shek |  Taiwan | 31 October 1887 | 5 April 1975 | President of the Republic of China | China's Destiny (中国之命运) |
| Rowland V. Lee | United States | 6 September 1891 | 21 December 1975 | Director, Actor, Screenwriter, Producer | |
| Murray Leinster | United States | 16 June 1896 | 8 June 1975 | Writer | Bibliography |
| Elijah Muhammad | United States | 7 October 1897 | 25 February 1975 | Leader of the Nation of Islam | Message to the Blackman in America |
| Sheikh Mujibur Rahman |  Bangladesh | 17 March 1920 | 15 August 1975 | Politician | Books |
| Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan |  India | 5 September 1888 | 17 April 1975 | Philosopher, President of India | The Dhammapada , The Principal Upanishads |
| Alfred Hamish Reed |  New Zealand | 30 December 1875 | 15 January 1975 | Writer, publisher | The Gumdiggers: The Story of Kauri Gum |
| Maria Elizabeth Rothmann |  South Africa | 28 August 1875 | 7 September 1975 | Author | Kinders van die Voortrek |
| Nora Sanderson | New Zealand | 14 February 1905 | 2 March 1975 | Romance writer | Hospital in New Zealand |
| Rod Serling | United States | 25 December 1924 | 28 June 1975 | Screenwriter, Playwright, Television producer | The Twilight Zone |
| Dmitri Shostakovich | Russia | 25 September 1906 | 9 August 1975 | Composer | Compositions |
| Noble Sissle | United States | 10 July 1889 | 17 December 1975 | Jazz composer, Lyricist | Shuffle Along , I'm Just Wild About Harry |
| Christopher Strachey | United Kingdom | 16 November 1916 | 18 May 1975 | Computer scientist | CPL , Fundamental Concepts in Programming Languages |
| Bill Sutch | New Zealand | 27 June 1907 | 28 September 1975 | Economist | Poverty and Progress in New Zealand, The Quest for Security in New Zealand |
| Arnold J. Toynbee | United Kingdom | 14 April 1889 | 22 October 1975 | Historian | A Study of History |
| Thornton Wilder | United States | 17 April 1897 | 7 December 1975 | Playwright, Novelist | The Bridge of San Luis Rey , Our Town |
| P. G. Wodehouse | United Kingdom | 15 October 1881 | 7 December 1975 | Playwright, Novelist | Bibliography |
Under the Copyright Term Extension Act, books published in 1930, films released in 1930, and other works published in 1930, will enter the public domain in 2026. [2] Sound recordings that were published in 1925 will enter the public domain. [3]
Unpublished works whose authors died in 1955 will enter the public domain.
Among the literary works that will enter public domain in 2026 are Dashiell Hammett's detective novel The Maltese Falcon , Agatha Christie's Miss Marple-novel The Murder at the Vicarage , William Faulkner's novel As I Lay Dying , H. Rider Haggard's final work Belshazzar , Noël Coward's play Private Lives , Philip Wylie's novel Gladiator , often theorised to be an inspiration for The Reign of the Superman, Milt Gross's graphic novel He Done Her Wrong , Bertold Brecht's play The Decision in its original German, the first appearance of Herge's Tintin in Tintin in the Land of the Soviets in its original French, the first English translation of Franz Kafka's The Castle , the first Elson-Gray Readers books featuring Dick and Jane by William S. Gray, the first English translation of Hermann Sudermann's The Excursion to Tilsit and Carolyn Keene's The Secret of the Old Clock and the character Nancy Drew (although only the original 1930 text).
Significant films entering the public domain this year include All Quiet on the Western Front , Greta Garbo's first sound film Anna Christie , Jean Harlow's film debut Hell's Angels , John Wayne's film debut in The Big Trail , The Love Parade , Animal Crackers starring the Marx Brothers, Soup to Nuts featuring an early iteration of The Three Stooges, George Cukor's directorial debut Grumpy , Josef von Sternberg's The Blue Angel and Morocco , both starring Marlene Dietrich (the first of eight films they made together), The Unholy Three , starring Lon Chaney in his only speaking role, F.W. Murnau's City Girl , G.W. Pabst's Westfront 1918 , Robert Siodmak's directorial debut People on Sunday , Jean Vigo's directorial debut À propos de Nice , Luis Buñuel's The Golden Age , the first Italian soundfilm The Sound of Love , the first Polish sound film Niebezpieczny romans , the first Czech sound film Tonka of the Gallows , the first Argentinian sound film Goodbye Argentina and the oldest surviving television broadcast The Man with the Flower in His Mouth . The earliest Betty Boop and Bimbo works will enter into the public domain, including Dizzy Dishes . The Disney character Pluto also makes his first appearance, first as an unnamed dog in The Chain Gang, and later called Rover in The Picnic [a] , along with Clarabelle Cow. Another Ub Iwerks cartoon creation, Flip the Frog, will also enter the public domain.
The first comic appearances of Hergé's Quick & Flupke and Chic Young's Blondie will also enter the public domain.
Some of the better-known works of art entering the public domain are Piet Mondrian's Composition with Red Blue and Yellow , Ansel Adams' photobook Taos Pueblo with writing by Mary Hunter Austin, Martin Munkácsi's photograph Three Boys at Lake Tanganyika , Edward Weston's photograph Pepper No. 30 , early prints of M.C. Escher ( The Bridge and Castrovalva ), and the first designs of the Brno chair and the Tugendhat chair .
Copyright expiry in Australia depends on when a work was created, and on the type of work. Under the current law, copyright usually expires 70 years after the death of the author, or for anonymous works, 70 years from the date of publication. Crown copyright expires 50 years after publication. The law has evolved over the years, and previously photographs were treated differently from other works. Anonymous works and photographs created before 1955 are no longer under copyright. For non-photographic works created before 1955, where the author is known, the copyright expires 50 years after the death of the author.
The Copyright Act of 1976 is a United States copyright law and remains the primary basis of copyright law in the United States, as amended by several later enacted copyright provisions. The Act spells out the basic rights of copyright holders, codified the doctrine of "fair use", and for most new copyrights adopted a unitary term based on the date of the author's death rather than the prior scheme of fixed initial and renewal terms. It became Public Law number 94-553 on October 19, 1976, and went into effect on January 1, 1978.
The Studios Hergé were, between 1950 and 1986, a SARL company consisting of Belgian cartoonist Hergé and his collaborators, who assisted him with the creation of The Adventures of Tintin and derived products. Over the years, the studios had between 12 and 50 employees, including some prestigious artists like Jacques Martin, Bob de Moor and Roger Leloup.
Works are in the public domain if they are not covered by the intellectual property right known as copyright, or if the intellectual property rights to the works have expired. Works automatically enter the public domain when their copyright has expired. The United States Copyright Office is a federal agency tasked with maintaining copyright records.
When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of works that entered the public domain in 2016. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of works that entered the public domain in 2017. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of works that entered the public domain in 2018. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of works that entered the public domain in 2019. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of creators whose works enter the public domain in 2020. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works is not uniform.
When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of works that entered the public domain in 2011. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of creators whose works enter the public domain in 2021. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
The following is a list of creators whose works enter the public domain on 1 January 2022. When copyright expires in a creative work, it enters the public domain. Since copyright terms vary from country to country, the copyright status of a work may not be the same in all countries.
When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of creators whose works enter the public domain in 2023. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of creators whose works enter the public domain in 2024. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of creators whose works enter the public domain in 2025. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of works that entered the public domain in 2009. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of works that entered the public domain in 2007. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of creators whose works enter the public domain in 2027. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of creators whose works enter the public domain in 2028. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works is not uniform.
When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of works that entered the public domain in 2006. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
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