The novels and poems of Bertolt Brecht (left) and any play or screenplay he wrote alone or in collaboration with an author who preceded him in death[1] will enter the public domain in Europe in 2027, along with the art of Jackson Pollock (right).
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.
Entering the public domain in countries with life + 70 years
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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 For previously unpublished material, those who publish it first will have the publication rights for 25 years. In addition several other countries in the world have a limit of 70 years. The list is sorted alphabetically and includes a notable work of the creator.
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.
Under the Copyright Term Extension Act, books published in 1931, films released in 1931, and other works published in 1931, will enter the public domain in 2027 if they were made for hire as defined in American copyright law.[3][4][5] Sound recordings that were published in 1926 and unpublished works whose authors died in 1956 will also enter the public domain.[3] The Disney animated short The Moose Hunt, featuring Pluto in his first appearance under his familiar name and as Mickey Mouse's dog; as well as Universal Pictures' Frankenstein and Dracula, starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in their respective title roles; will be among the works to enter the public domain. In addition, the character Betty Boop's first cartoons under her familiar portrayal as a human will enter the public domain.
↑For the United States, most of the comic strips that came out that year, including the first appearance of Dick Tracy and the Popeye/Thimble Theatre strips which introduced spinach as a power-up for the titular character and J. Wellington Wimpy, are already in the public domain because their copyrights weren't properly renewed, so they are not on the list.
References
↑Of his collaborators, Brecht was preceded in death by Margarete Steffin (in 1943), Karl Valentin (in 1948), and Kurt Weill (in 1950). Other collaborators of Brecht's outlived him.
↑Copyright term in Russia is extended by 4 years for authors who fought in or worked during the 1941-1945 war.
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