2026 in public domain

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The works of Thomas Mann will enter the public domain in Europe in 2026. Thomas Mann 1929.jpg
The works 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 For previously unpublished material, those who publish it first will have the publication rights for 25 years. 2026 marks the first year since 2006 that works will enter the public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
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
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
Béla Bartók Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary 25 March 188126 September 1945Composer Compositions
Dietrich Bonhoeffer Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 4 February 19069 April 1945 Lutheran pastor, Theologian The Cost of Discipleship
Theodore Dreiser Flag of the United States.svg  United States 27 August 187128 December 1945Novelist, Journalist Sister Carrie , An American Tragedy
Anne Frank Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 12 June 1929February 1945Diarist The Diary of a Young Girl
Zinaida Gippius Flag of Russia.svg  Russia 20 November 18699 September 1945Poet, Playwright, Novelist Bibliography
Adolf Hitler Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 20 April 188930 April 1945 Führer of Germany Mein Kampf
Benito Mussolini Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 29 July 188328 April 1945 Prime Minister of Italy, Duce of Fascism Writings
Kitaro Nishida Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 19 May 18707 June 1945Philosopher Works
Franklin D. Roosevelt Flag of the United States.svg  United States 30 January 188212 April 1945 President of the United States Looking Forward
Felix Salten Flag of Austria.svg  Austria 6 September 18698 October 1945Writer Bambi, a Life in the Woods
Josep Maria Sert Flag of Spain.svg  Spain 21 December 187427 November 1945Muralist
Franz Werfel Flag of Austria.svg  Austria
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czechia
10 September 189026 August 1945Novelist, Playwright, Poet The Forty Days of Musa Dagh
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

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
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
Syngman Rhee Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea 26 March 187519 July 1965 President of South Korea The Spirit of Independence (독립정신)

Entering the public domain in countries with life + 50 years

In most countries of Africa and Asia, as well as Belarus, Bolivia, New Zealand, Egypt 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
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
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
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

United States

The earliest Betty Boop cartoons will enter the public domain in the United States in 2026. Betty Boop patent fig1.jpg
The earliest Betty Boop cartoons will enter the public domain in the United States 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. [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 .

See also

Related Research Articles

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public domain in the United States</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 in public domain</span> Overview of works entering public domain

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 2010. 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 2008. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2027 in public domain</span> Overview of works entering public domain

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.

References

  1. "How long does copyright last? | National Library of Australia". www.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  2. "Copyright and the Public Domain". Public Domain Information Project. Archived from the original on 2014-08-01. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  3. 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.
  1. He would first be referred to as Pluto in the 1931 short The Moose Hunt