2026 in public domain

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The literature of Thomas Mann will enter the public domain in Europe in 2026. Thomas Mann 1929.jpg
The literature of Thomas Mann will enter the public domain in Europe in 2026.

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.

Contents

Entering the public domain in countries with life + 70 years

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 For previously unpublished material, those who publish it first will have the publication rights for 25 years. 2026 marks the first year since 2006 that works will enter the public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.

NamesCountryBirthDeathOccupationNotable work
Fik Abbing  [ nl ]Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands 8 May 190112 August 1955Painter, Illustrator Works
James Agee Flag of the United States.svg United States 27 November 190916 May 1955Novelist, Journalist, Poet, Screenwriter A Death in the Family
Silvio D'Amico Flag of Italy.svg Italy 3 February 18871 April 1955Theatre theorist
Ruby M. Ayres Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 28 January 188114 November 1955Romance novelist Bibliography
Johannes Baader Flag of Germany.svg Germany 21 June 187514 January 1955Writer, Artist, Architect
Lloyd Bacon Flag of the United States.svg United States 4 December 188915 November 1955Actor, Film director Filmography as director
Guido Battelli  [ de ]Flag of Italy.svg Italy 24 September 186913 April 1955Writer Works
Dale Carnegie Flag of the United States.svg United States 24 November 18881 November 1955Writer How to Win Friends and Influence People
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin Flag of France.svg France 1 May 188110 April 1955 Jesuit priest, Scientist, Paleontologist, Theologian, Philosopher The Phenomenon of Man
Eugenio Cirese  [ it ]Flag of Italy.svg Italy 21 February 18848 February 1955Poet Works
Paul Claudel Flag of France.svg France 6 August 186823 February 1955Poet, Dramatist Works
Donald Corley Flag of the United States.svg United States 8 June 188611 December 1955Short story author, illustrator, architect
Alfredo Cuscinà  [ it ]Flag of Italy.svg Italy 30 November 188130 March 1955Composer Main operettas
William C. deMille Flag of the United States.svg United States 25 July 18785 March 1955Screenwriter, Film director Filmography
Isaak Dunayevsky Flag of Russia.svg Russia 30 January 190025 July 1955Composer Compositions
Albert Einstein Flag of Germany.svg Germany
Flag of the United States.svg United States
14 March 187918 April 1955Theoretical physicist Scientific publications, The Evolution of Physics , The Meaning of Relativity
George Enescu Flag of Romania.svg Romania 19 August 18814 May 1955Composer Compositions
Concha Espina Flag of Spain.svg Spain 15 April 187919 May 1955Writer Bibliography
Émile Fabre Flag of France.svg France 24 March 186925 September 1955Playwright Plays
Joseph Jefferson Farjeon Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 4 June 18836 June 1955Novelist, Playwright, Screenwriter Works
Alexander Fleming Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 6 August 188111 March 1955Physician
José Ortega y Gasset Flag of Spain.svg Spain 9 May 188318 October 1955Philosopher, Essayist Works
Rodolfo Graziani Flag of Italy.svg Italy 11 August 188211 January 1955General Books
Arthur Honegger Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland 10 March 189227 November 1955Composer Compositions
Clemence Housman Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 23 November 18616 December 1955Author
María Izquierdo Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico 30 October 19022 December 1955Painter
Jaime Ovalle Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil 5 August 18949 September 1955Composer Works
James P. Johnson Flag of the United States.svg United States 1 February 189417 November 1955Composer, pianist Charleston
Fernand Léger Flag of France.svg France 4 February 188117 August 1955Painter, Sculptor, Filmmaker
Thomas Mann Flag of Germany.svg Germany 6 June 187512 August 1955Writer, Philanthropist, Essayist Works
Francesco Balilla Pratella Flag of Italy.svg Italy 1 February 188017 May 1955Composer Selected Works
Max Pechstein Flag of Germany.svg Germany 31 December 188129 June 1955Painter
Robert Riskin Flag of the United States.svg United States 30 March 189720 September 1955Screenwriter, Playwright Filmography
Nat Schachner Flag of the United States.svg United States 16 January 18952 October 1955Author and biographer Space Lawyer
Robert E. Sherwood Flag of the United States.svg United States 4 April 189614 November 1955Screenwriter, Playwright
Nicolas de Staël Flag of France.svg France 5 January 191416 March 1955Painter
Al. T. Stamatiad Flag of Romania.svg Romania 9 May 1885December 1955Poet, Short story writer, Dramatist
Wallace Stevens Flag of the United States.svg United States 2 October 18792 August 1955Poet The Auroras of Autumn
Yves Tanguy Flag of France.svg France 5 January 190015 January 1955Painter Paintings
Yevgeny Tarle Flag of Russia.svg Russia 27 October 18746 January 1955HistorianNapoleon's Invasion of Russia, 1812
Tin Ujević Flag of Croatia.svg Croatia 5 July 189112 November 1955Poet Works
Maurice Utrillo Flag of France.svg France 26 December 18835 November 1955Painter
Edouard Verschaffelt  [ fr ]Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium 18741955Painter
Anwar Wagdi Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt 11 October 190414 May 1955Director The Flirtation of Girls
Léon Werth Flag of France.svg France 17 February 187813 December 1955Writer Books
Hermann Weyl Flag of Germany.svg Germany 9 November 18858 December 1955Mathematician, Theoretical physicist, Philosopher Bibliography

Entering the public domain in countries with life + 80 years

Spain has a copyright term of life + 80 years for creators that died before 1987. In Colombia and Equatorial Guinea, a work enters the public domain 80 years after the creator's death. The list is sorted alphabetically and includes a notable work of the creator that entered the public domain on 1 January 2026.

NamesCountryBirthDeathOccupationNotable work
Achmed Abdullah Flag of the United States.svg United States 12 May 188112 May 1945Pulp writer and screenwriter
Nikola Avramov Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria 21 May 189715 June 1945Still life paintings
Milena Pavlović-Barili Flag of Serbia.svg Serbia 5 November 19096 March 1945Painter, poet
Maurice Baring Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 27 April 187414 December 1945Writer
Béla Bartók Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary 25 March 188126 September 1945Composer Concerto for Orchestra
Robert Benchley Flag of the United States.svg United States 15 September 188921 November 1945Humoristnewspaper and magazine columns
Henry Bellamann Flag of the United States.svg United States 28 April 188216 June 1945WriterKings Row
Ursula Bethell Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand 6 October 187415 January 1945PoetCollected poetry
Vilhelms Bokslafs Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia
Flag of Russia.svg Russian Empire
12 October 18589 March 1945ArchitectMost notable buildings are Jaunmokas Manor near Tukums and Commercial school in Riga (now Art Academy of Latvia)
Nicola Bombacci Flag of Italy.svg Italy 24 October 187928 April 1945Marxist-Fascist journalistIl mio pensiero sul bolscevismo (1941),
I contadini nella Russia di Stalin (1942),
I contadini nell'Italia di Mussolini (1943)
Dietrich Bonhoeffer Flag of Germany.svg Germany 4 February 19069 April 1945Theologian
Robert Brasillach Flag of France.svg France 31 March 19096 February 1945Writer Je suis partout
Miles J. Breuer Flag of the United States.svg United States 3 January 188914 October 1945Writer"The Gostak and the Doshes" (1930) and other science fiction stories
Fritz Brupbacher Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland 30 June 18741 January 1945WriterDer Sinn des Lebens
Thomas Burke Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 29 November 188622 November 1945Writer Limehouse Nights
Alexander Stirling Calder Flag of the United States.svg United States 11 January 18707 January 1945Sculptor George Washington as President
David Young Cameron Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 28 June 186516 September 1945Artist
Franklin Carmichael Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada 5 May 189024 October 1945Artist
Benjamin De Casseres Flag of the United States.svg United States 3 April 18737 December 1945Journalist, poet The Shadow-Eater
Anica Černej Flag of Slovenia.svg Slovenia 3 April 19003 May 1945Author, poet
John R. Commons Flag of the United States.svg United States 13 October 186211 May 1945EconomistInstitutional Economics
Margaret Deland Flag of the United States.svg United States 23 February 185613 January 1945Writer John Ward, Preacher
Mário de Andrade Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil 9 October 189325 February 1945WriterMacunaíma
Robert Desnos Flag of France.svg France 4 July 19008 June 1945Poet
Maurice Donnay Flag of France.svg France 12 October 185931 March 1945Dramatist
Lord Alfred Douglas Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 12 June 185920 March 1945Writer Two Loves
Theodore Dreiser Flag of the United States.svg United States 27 August 187128 December 1945Writer, journalist Sister Carrie , An American Tragedy
E. R. Eddison Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 24 November 188218 August 1945Writer The Worm Ouroboros
Gus Edwards Flag of the United States.svg United States 18 August 18797 November 1945Songwriter"By the Light of the Silvery Moon", "In My Merry Oldsmobile"
Eleanor Fortescue-Brigdale Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 187110 March 1945Artist The Uninvited Guest , Riches
Anne Frank Flag of Germany.svg Germany 12 June 1929February 1945Diarist The Diary of a Young Girl
Øvre Richter Frich Flag of Norway.svg Norway 24 March 187213 May 1945Writer, journalist
Fulgencio García Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia 10 May 18804 March 1945Musician, composer"La Gata Golosa"
David Lloyd George Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 17 January 186326 March 1945PoliticianThe Truth About The Peace Treaty, War Memoirs
Zinaida Gippius Flag of Russia.svg Russia 20 November 18699 September 1945Writer, poet
Joseph Goebbels Flag of Germany.svg Germany 29 October 18971 May 1945Politician Goebbels Diaries
Adolf Hitler Flag of Germany.svg Germany 20 April 188930 April 1945Politician, Dictator of Nazi Germany Mein Kampf , Hitlers Zweites Buch
Suphi Nuri İleri Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey 18871945Writer
Ljubomir Ivanović Flag of Serbia.svg Serbia 24 February 188223 November 1945Printmaker, draughtsman
Malcolm Jameson Flag of the United States.svg United States 21 December 189116 April 1945WriterWriter for American pulp magazines during the Golden Age of Science Fiction
Joseph Jastrow Flag of the United States.svg United States 30 January 18638 January 1945Psychologist
Juliusz Kaden-Bandrowski Flag of Poland.svg Poland 24 February 18858 August 1945Writer, journalist
Osman Cemal Kaygılı Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey 4 October 18799 January 1945Writer
Carl Wilhelm Kern Flag of the United States.svg United States 4 June 187419 August 1945Composer
Käthe Kollwitz Flag of Germany.svg Germany 8 July 186722 April 1945ArtistThe Prisoners
Julius Korngold Flag of Austria.svg Austria 24 December 186025 September 1945Music critic
Jaroslav Kratochvil  [ cs ]Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic 17 January 188520 March 1945Writer
René Lalique Flag of France.svg France 6 April 18601 May 1945Glass designer
Else Lasker-Schüler Flag of Germany.svg Germany 11 February 186922 January 1945Writerpoetry and plays
James Leatham [2] Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 19 December 186514 December 1945Writer, printer, publisher
Jonas Lie Flag of Norway.svg Norway 31 December 189911 May 1945Writer, minister
David Lindsay Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 3 March 187616 July 1945Writer A Voyage to Arcturus
August Lösch Flag of Germany.svg Germany 15 October 190630 May 1945EconomistDie räumliche Ordnung der Wirtschaft
Eoin MacNeill Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland 15 May 186715 October 1945WriterPhases of Irish History
Tobias Matthay Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 19 February 185815 December 1945Teacher, pianist, composerwritings on piano playing
Arthur Mendel  [ ro ]Flag of Romania.svg Romania 18721945Painter
Régis Messac Flag of France.svg France 2 August 18931945Writer, poet, translator
James V. Monaco Flag of the United States.svg United States 13 January 188516 October 1945Songwriter"You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)"
Arthur Morrison Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 1 November 18634 December 1945Writer A Child of the Jago
Benito Mussolini Flag of Italy.svg Italy 29 July 188328 April 1945Politician My Autobiography
Moritz Nähr Flag of Austria.svg Austria 4 August 185929 June 1945Photographer
Alla Nazimova Flag of Russia.svg Russia
Flag of the United States.svg United States
3 June 187913 July 1945Writer, actor
Dobri Nemirov  [ bg ]Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria 3 February 188230 September 1945WriterWhen I was young
Otto Neurath Flag of Austria.svg Austria 10 December 188222 December 1945WriterAnti-Spengler
Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark 21 June 186321 February 1945SculptorEquestrian Statue of King Christian IX, Copenhagen
Charles Gilman Norris Flag of the United States.svg United States 23 April 188125 July 1945Writer, playwrightSalt (1919)
George S. Patton Flag of the United States.svg United States 11 November 188521 December 1945GeneralWar As I Knew it
Harry Pease  [ de ]Flag of the United States.svg United States 6 September 18868 November 1944Songwriter
Calel Perechodnik Flag of Poland.svg Poland 8 September 1916September 1945Diarist
Ion Pillat Flag of Romania.svg Romania 31 March 189117 April 1945PoetPe Argeș în sus, Poeme într-un vers
Karel Poláček Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Czech Republic 22 March 189221 January 1945Writer
Vilhelms Purvītis Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia
Flag of Russia.svg Russian Empire
3 March 187214 January 1945Landscape painter and educator
Ernö Rapée Flag of the United States.svg United States 4 June 189126 June 1945Composersilent film music
Edward Prosser Rhys Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 4 March 19016 February 1945WriterCerddi Prosser Rhys
Albert Richards Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 19 December 19195 March 1945ArtistArtwork produced during the Second World War about the British war effort
Alexander Roda Roda Flag of Austria.svg Austria 13 April 187220 August 1945Writer
Hando Ruus Flag of Estonia.svg Estonia 16 May 191731 March 1945Military captain, artist
Felix Salten Flag of Austria.svg Austria 6 September 18698 October 1945Writer Bambi. Eine Lebensgeschichte aus dem Walde
Alexander Siloti Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine 9 October 18638 December 1945Pianist, composer
Kārlis Skalbe Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia
Flag of Russia.svg Russian Empire
7 November 187914 April 1945Writer, poet, and activist
Paul Smărăndescu  [ ro ]Flag of Romania.svg Romania 26 June 188112 January 1945Architect
Antal Szerb Flag of Hungary.svg Hungary 1 May 190127 January 1945Writer The Pendragon Legend
Ong Schan Tchow Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China 19 September 190020 December 1945ArtistBook of Chrysanthemums
Nikolai Tcherepnin Flag of Russia.svg Russia 15 May 187326 June 1945Composer
Aleksey Nikolayevich Tolstoy Flag of Russia.svg Russia 15 May 187326 June 1945Writer Aelita , The Garin Death Ray , The Road to Calvary
Teodor Trayanov  [ bg ]Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria 30 January 188215 January 1945PoetSong of songs, Regina Mortua, Hymns and Ballads
Halid Ziya Uşaklıgil Flag of Turkey.svg Turkey 186627 March 1945Writer
Anton Webern Flag of Austria.svg Austria 3 December 188315 September 1945Composer
Franz Werfel Flag of Austria.svg Austria 10 September 189026 August 1945Writer The Song of Bernadette
Charles Williams Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 20 September 188615 May 1945Writer Descent into Hell
Yun Dong-ju Flag of Korea (1899).svg Korea 30 December 191716 February 1945PoetThe Sky, the Wind, the Stars, and the Poem (하늘과 바람과 별과 시)
Ignacio Zuloaga Flag of Spain.svg Spain 26 July 187024 June 1945Painter

Entering the public domain in countries with life + 60 years

In Bangladesh, India, and Venezuela a work enters the public domain 60 years after the creator's death.

NamesCountryBirthDeathOccupationNotable work
Ahn Eak-tai Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea 5 December 190616 September 1965Composer Aegukga , Symphonic Fantasy Korea
Winston Churchill Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 30 November 187424 January 1965 Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The Second World War , A History of the English-Speaking Peoples
Maria Dąbrowska Flag of Poland.svg Poland 6 October 188919 May 1965Writer
T. S. Eliot Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom,
Flag of the United States.svg United States
26 September 18884 January 1965Poet, Essayist, Playwright Works
Park Su-geun Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea 21 February 19146 May 1965PainterWoman Pounding Grain (절구질하는 여인), A Wash Place (빨래터), Old Tree and Woman (고목과 여인)
Syngman Rhee Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea 26 March 187519 July 1965 President of South Korea The Spirit of Independence (독립정신)
Yoon Yong-ha  [ ko ]Flag of South Korea.svg South Korea 16 March 192223 July 1965ComposerBarley Field (보리밭), The Leaf Boat (나뭇잎 배), Gwangbokjeol song (광복절 노래)

Entering the public domain in countries with life + 50 years

In most countries of Africa and Asia, as well as Belarus, Bolivia, New Zealand and Uruguay; a work enters the public domain 50 years after the creator's death.

NamesCountryBirthDeathOccupationNotable work
John Akar Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Sierra Leone 19271975Entertainer, writer, diplomat High We Exalt Thee, Realm of the Free
Leroy Anderson Flag of the United States.svg United States 29 June 190818 May 1975Composer Sleigh Ride , Blue Tango , The Typewriter , The Syncopated Clock
Ivo Andrić Flag of Yugoslavia (1946-1992).svg Yugoslavia 9 October 189213 March 1975Writer, Poet The Bridge on the Drina
Pablo Antonio Flag of the Philippines.svg Philippines 25 January 190114 June 1975Architect Ideal Theater, Life Theater, White Cross Orphanage, Capitan Luis Gonzaga Building
Hannah Arendt Flag of Germany.svg Germany
Flag of the United States.svg United States
14 October 19064 December 1975Writer, Political philosopher The Human Condition , Eichmann in Jerusalem
Mikhail Bakhtin Flag of Russia.svg Russia 16 November 18957 March 1975Philosopher Works
Thomas Hart Benton Flag of the United States.svg United States 15 April 188919 January 1975Painter
James Blish Flag of the United States.svg United States 23 May 192130 July 1975Writer Cities in Flight , Star Trek novelizations
Arthur Bliss Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 2 August 189127 March 1975Composer Compositions
Tim Buckley Flag of the United States.svg United States 14 February 194729 June 1975Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter Discography
Luigi Dallapiccola Flag of Italy.svg Italy 3 February 190419 February 1975Composer Compositions
Lefty Frizzell Flag of the United States.svg United States 31 March 192819 July 1975Singer, Songwriter Discography
Konstantine Gamsakhurdia Flag of Georgia.svg Georgia 3 May 189317 July 1975Writer The Right Hand of the Grand Master
Bernard Herrmann Flag of the United States.svg United States 29 July 191124 December 1975Composer Film scores
Edna Mayne Hull Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada 1 May 190520 January 1975SF authorPlanets for Sale
Julian Huxley Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 22 June 188714 February 1975Evolutionary biologist Works
Chiang Kai-shek Flag of the Republic of China.svg Taiwan 31 October 18875 April 1975 President of the Republic of China China's Destiny (中国之命运)
Rowland V. Lee Flag of the United States.svg United States 6 September 189121 December 1975Director, Actor, Screenwriter, Producer
Murray Leinster Flag of the United States.svg United States 16 June 18968 June 1975Writer Bibliography
Herbert List Flag of Germany.svg Germany 7 October 19034 April 1975Photographer Collection at Deutsche Fotothek
Donal R. Michalsky  [ nl ]Flag of the United States.svg United States 13 July 192831 December 1975ComposerFanfare after 17th Century Dances
Elijah Muhammad Flag of the United States.svg United States 7 October 189725 February 1975Leader of the Nation of Islam Message to the Blackman in America
Efraín Orozco Morales Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia 22 January 189727 August 1975Musician, composer"El Regreso"
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh 17 March 192015 August 1975Politician Books
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Flag of India.svg India 5 September 188817 April 1975Philosopher, President of India The Dhammapada , The Principal Upanishads
Alfred Hamish Reed Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand 30 December 187515 January 1975Writer, publisherThe Gumdiggers: The Story of Kauri Gum
Maria Elizabeth Rothmann Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa 28 August 18757 September 1975AuthorKinders van die Voortrek
Nora Sanderson Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand 14 February 19052 March 1975Romance writerHospital in New Zealand
Rod Serling Flag of the United States.svg United States 25 December 192428 June 1975Screenwriter, Playwright, Television producer The Twilight Zone
R. C. Sherriff Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 6 June 189613 November 1975Playwright, writer Journey's End , The Hopkins Manuscript
Dmitri Shostakovich Flag of Russia.svg Russia 25 September 19069 August 1975Composer Compositions
Noble Sissle Flag of the United States.svg United States 10 July 188917 December 1975Jazz composer, Lyricist Shuffle Along , I'm Just Wild About Harry
Christopher Strachey Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 16 November 191618 May 1975Computer scientist CPL , Fundamental Concepts in Programming Languages
Bill Sutch Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand 27 June 190728 September 1975EconomistPoverty and Progress in New Zealand, The Quest for Security in New Zealand
Alejandro Tovar Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia 24 May 190823 February 1975Musician, composer"Pachito Eché"
Arnold J. Toynbee Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 14 April 188922 October 1975Historian A Study of History
Thornton Wilder Flag of the United States.svg United States 17 April 18977 December 1975Playwright, Novelist The Bridge of San Luis Rey , Our Town
P. G. Wodehouse Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom 15 October 18817 December 1975Playwright, Novelist Bibliography
Fritz Wotruba Flag of Austria.svg Austria 23 April 190728 August 1975Sculptor Wotruba Church
Giselda Zani Flag of Uruguay.svg Uruguay 19091975Poet, short story writer, criticLa costa despierta

Canada

In 2022 copyright in Canada changed from a "plus 50" law to a "plus 70" law, in line with the United States and the European Union. But the change was not made retroactive (unlike the 1995 change in the European Union which brought some (British and possibly other) authors back into copyright, especially those who died from 1925 to 1944). [3] [4] No more new Canadian authors will come out of copyright until 1 January 2043 (those who died in 1972). Crown copyright was not changed, thus any government works published in 1974 entered the public domain in 2025. [5]

United States

The 1930 film adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front, the third film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, will enter the United States public domain in 2026. All Quiet on the Western Front (1930 film) poster.jpg
The 1930 film adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front , the third film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, will enter the United States public domain in 2026.

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. [6] [7] Sound recordings that were published in 1925 and unpublished works whose authors died in 1955 will also enter the public domain. [6]

Among the literary works that will enter public domain in 2026 are Dashiell Hammett's detective novel The Maltese Falcon , Agatha Christie's detective novel The Murder at the Vicarage introducing Miss Marple, William Faulkner's novel As I Lay Dying , H. Rider Haggard's final work Belshazzar , Noël Coward's play Private Lives , Marc Connelly's play The Green Pastures , Milt Gross's graphic novel He Done Her Wrong , Bertold Brecht's play The Decision in its original German, Herge's first Tintin comic album Tintin in the Land of the Soviets in its original French as well as the first serialized versions of the controversial second story Tintin in the Congo , 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 first Nancy Drew mystery stories, including The Secret of the Old Clock which marked the character's debut.

Significant films entering the public domain in 2026 include Best Picture Academy Award winner All Quiet on the Western Front , Greta Garbo's first sound film Anna Christie , Bing Crosby's film debut King of Jazz , Jean Harlow's film debut Hell's Angels , John Wayne's film debut in The Big Trail , 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, the Alfred Hitchcock films Juno and the Paycock and Murder! , F.W. Murnau's City Girl , the John Ford films Men Without Women, Born Reckless , Seas Beneath and Up the River , 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 sound film 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 , an adaptation of Luigi Pirandello's same-named play. The earliest Betty Boop and Bimbo cartoons will enter into the public domain, including Dizzy Dishes . The 1930 Mickey Mouse cartoons enter the public domain this year as well, bringing with them the design of Pluto, who will enter the public domain through his debut appearance in The Chain Gang (where he was unnamed), and his second appearance as "Rover" (owned by Minnie Mouse) in The Picnic . [a] An Ub Iwerks cartoon character created independently of Disney, 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 .

Among the popular songs that will be entering the public domain are "Body and Soul", "Georgia on My Mind", "I Got Rhythm", "Little White Lies", "Livin' in the Sunlight, Lovin' in the Moonlight", "On the Sunny Side of the Street", "Three Little Words", and "You're Driving Me Crazy".

See also

Notes

  1. The dog character's name and Mickey's ownership of him will not enter the public domain until 2027, through the short The Moose Hunt .

References

  1. "How long does copyright last? | National Library of Australia". www.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  2. Crick, Martin (1994). The History of the Social-Democratic Federation. Edinburgh University Press. p. 311. ISBN   978-1-85331-091-1.
  3. "An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 7, 2022 and other measures". Parliament of Canada. 2022-06-23. Archived from the original on 2023-01-01. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
  4. "PC Number: 2022-1219". Government of Canada. 2022-11-17. Archived from the original on 2022-11-28. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
  5. "Crown Copyright - FAQ". Government of Canada. www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  6. 1 2 Hirtle, Peter B. (3 January 2020). "Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States". Cornell University Library Copyright Information Center. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  7. "Copyright and the Public Domain". Public Domain Information Project. Archived from the original on 2014-08-01. Retrieved 2019-01-23.