When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of creators whose works entered the public domain in 2026 under common copyright regimes. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
Barley Field (보리밭), The Leaf Boat (나뭇잎 배), Gwangbokjeol song (광복절 노래)
Entering the public domain in countries with life + 70 years
The literature of Thomas Mann entered the public domain in Europe in 2026. He is also part of the first wave of authors to enter the public domain in Australia in twenty 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 For previously unpublished material, those who publish it first will have the publication rights for 25 years. The same term applies in much of South America, and parts of western Africa. As such, the works of all authors who died in 1955 entered the European public domain in 2026.
2026 marks the first year since 2005 that works entered the public domain in Australia, which changed its copyright term length from a "plus 50" law to a "plus 70" law in 2004, as stated in Australia's own section below.
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.
In 2004 copyright in Australia 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). Hence, the work of an author who died before 1955 is normally in the public domain in Australia; but the copyright of authors was extended to 70 years after death for those who died in 1955 or later. 2026 was the first year since 2005 that new Australian authors came out of copyright,[1] with those who died in 1955. Specific Australian authors whose works entered the public domain this year include writer Charles Shaw and artists John Radecki and Antonio Dattilo Rubbo.
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, like Australia's before it, was not made retroactive.[2][3] 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.[4]
Morocco, also directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring Marlene Dietrich, which marked the Hollywood debut of Dietrich (who would go on to make five additional films with the director) and earned four Academy Award nominations;
the French film L'Âge d'Or (The Golden Age), directed by Luis Buñuel, which entered the U.S. public domain after having been banned in its home country for nearly fifty years;
Laughter, directed by Harry d'Abbadie d'Arrast and starring March alongside Nancy Carroll, which was critically acclaimed in its own time but is now an overlooked gem among early sound films;
The 1931 films Little Caesar, directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Robinson as the titular gangster, and Cimarron, the adaptation of Ferber's novel and the year's Best Picture Academy Award winner, entered the public domain in 2026 instead of 2027 because they were released so early in the year that they carry 1930 copyright registrations instead.[9]
↑Mickey's ownership of the bloodhound character will not enter the public domain until 2027, through the short The Moose Hunt.
↑The rest of Mickey's comic strips from 1930 were not renewed properly; the same also applies to his strips from 1931. Since Clarabelle Cow was introduced in the strip before debuting in animation in The Shindig, she was already in the public domain as a result of that.
↑In Young's first Blondie comics, the title character was a flapper, and Dagwood was the young heir to a railway company. Many strips from later in the decade where Dagwood's obsession with sandwiches was established did not seem to have their copyrights properly renewed and may or may not be public domain already, although Duke University School of Law has stated the renewals from 1935 may count, but the idea of a character's fixation with food may be uncopyrightable. Furthermore, King Features Weekly was not started until May 4, 1933, so any subsequent strips beyond the first up to that date (including those where Dagwood and Blondie married) were not renewed and are undoubtedly public domain.[10]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
