 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(June 2025) |
When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. 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 in 2035 under the most common copyright regimes, assuming no further extensions to copyright terms become law in the interim.
Except for Belarus (Life + 50 years) [1] and Spain (which has a copyright term of Life + 80 years for creators that died before 1988), a work enters the public domain in Europe 70 years after the creator's death, if it was published during the creator's lifetime. [2] [3] In addition, several other countries have a limit of 70 years. The list is sorted alphabetically and includes a notable work of the creator.
| Names | Country | Birth | Death | Occupation | Notable work |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Atl |  Mexico | 3 October 1875 | 15 August 1964 | Painter, writer | |
| Fernando Leal | Mexico | 26 February 1896 | 7 October 1964 | Painter, muralist, lithographer, engraver | |
| Bharathidasan |  India | 29 April 1891 | 21 April 1964 | Poet | "Tamil Thai Valthu" |
| Birinchi Kumar Barua | India | 16 October 1908 | 30 March 1964 | Scholar, writer | |
| Carlos Brandt |  Venezuela | 11 October 1875 | 27 February 1964 | Writer | |
| Guru Dutt | India | 9 July 1925 | 10 October 1964 | Film director | Pyaasa |
| Ian Fleming |  United Kingdom | 28 May 1908 | 12 August 1964 | Writer | James Bond |
| Mushtaq Hussain Khan | India | 1878 | 13 August 1964 | Musician | |
| Jawaharlal Nehru | India | 14 November 1889 | 27 May 1964 | Politician | An Autobiography |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jean Absil |  Belgium | 23 October 1893 | 2 February 1974 | Composer | |
| Gilbert Archey |  New Zealand | 4 August 1890 | 20 October 1974 | Zoologist | The Moa, a Study of the Dinornithiformes |
| Miguel Ángel Asturias |  Guatemala | 19 October 1899 | 9 June 1974 | Poet-diplomat | El Señor Presidente |
| Farid al-Atrash |  Egypt | 1917 | 26 December 1974 | Composer | |
| Kurt Atterberg |  Sweden | 12 December 1887 | 15 February 1974 | Composer | Compositions |
| H. E. Bates | United Kingdom | 16 May 1905 | 29 January 1974 | Writer | The Darling Buds of May |
| Erick Berry |  United States | 4 January 1892 | February 1974 | Writer | The Winged Girl of Knossos |
| Bobby Bloom | United States | 15 January 1946 | 28 February 1974 | Singer-songwriter | "Montego Bay" |
| Hector Bolitho | New Zealand | 28 May 1897 | 12 September 1974 | Writer | Albert the Good and the Victorian Reign |
| Buddhadeb Bosu |  Bangladesh | 1908 | 1974 | Writer | |
| Rosario Castellanos | Mexico | 25 May 1925 | 7 August 1974 | Poet, novelist | The Nine Guardians |
| Nellie Coad | New Zealand | 15 October 1883 | 6 September 1974 | Teacher, writer | |
| Phillis Emily Cunnington | United Kingdom | 1 November 1887 | 24 October 1974 | Physician, historian | Handbook of English Mediaeval Costume |
| Maurice Duggan | New Zealand | 25 November 1922 | 11 December 1974 | Writer | Summer in the Gravel Pit |
| Duke Ellington | United States | 29 April 1899 | 24 May 1974 | Composer | Duke Ellington discography |
| Julius Evola |  Italy | 19 May 1898 | 11 June 1974 | Philosopher | Revolt Against the Modern World |
| Allal al-Fassi |  Morocco | 10 January 1910 | 13 May 1974 | Writer | The Independence Movements in Arab North Africa |
| Dorothy Fields | United States | 15 July 1904 | 28 March 1974 | Film lyricist | "The Way You Look Tonight" |
| Louise Fitzhugh | United States | 5 October 1928 | 19 November 1974 | Writer | Harriet the Spy |
| Georgette Heyer | United Kingdom | 16 August 1902 | 4 July 1974 | Writer | List of works by Georgette Heyer |
| Ali Ismael | Egypt | 28 December 1922 | 16 June 1974 | Composer | Fida'i |
| Marie Luise Kaschnitz |  Germany | 31 January 1901 | 10 October 1974 | Writer | Menschen und Dinge 1945 |
| Erich Kästner | Germany | 23 February 1899 | 29 July 1974 | Poet, screenwriter | Emil and the Detectives |
| Muhammad Ayub Khan |  Pakistan | 14 May 1907 | 19 April 1974 | Politician | Books |
| Pär Lagerkvist | Sweden | 23 May 1891 | 11 July 1974 | Writer | Barabbas |
| Eve Langley | New Zealand | 1 September 1904 | 1 June 1974 | Writer | The Pea-Pickers |
| Charles Lindbergh | United States | 4 February 1902 | 26 August 1974 | Aviator, writer | "WE", The Spirit of St. Louis |
| Eric Linklater | United Kingdom | 8 March 1899 | 7 November 1974 | Writer, poet | The Wind on the Moon |
| Walter Lippmann | United States | 23 September 1889 | 14 December 1974 | Writer | Public Opinion |
| Margaret MacPherson | New Zealand | 19 June 1895 | 14 September 1974 | Writer, journalist | A Symposium Against War |
| P. Schuyler Miller | United States | 21 February 1912 | 13 October 1974 | Writer | |
| Henry de Monfreid |  France | 14 November 1879 | 13 December 1974 | Adventurer, writer | Secrets of the Red Sea |
| Stanley Mullen | United States | 20 June 1911 | 1974 | Artist, writer | Kinsmen of the Dragon |
| Leslie Munro | New Zealand | 26 February 1901 | 13 February 1974 | Politician, writer | United Nations: hope for a divided world |
| Douglas Robb | New Zealand | 1899 | 1974 | Physician, writer | Medical Odyssey |
| David Alfaro Siqueiros | Mexico | 29 December 1896 | 6 January 1974 | Painter, muralist | Portrait of the Bourgeoisie (1939–1940), The March of Humanity (1957–1971) |
| William Sloane | United States | 15 August 1906 | 25 September 1974 | Writer | To Walk the Night |
| Zaharia Stancu |  Romania | 7 October 1902 | 5 December 1974 | Writer | Through the Ashes of the Empire |
| Sheila Stuart | United Kingdom | 1892 | 1974 | Writer | Alison's Highland Holiday |
| Jacqueline Susann | United States | 20 August 1918 | 21 September 1974 | Writer | Valley of the Dolls |
| Sándor Szathmári |  Hungary | 29 June 1897 | 16 July 1974 | Writer, mechanical engineer | Kazohinia |
| Whanki Kim |  South Korea | 3 April 1913 | 25 July 1974 | Painter | What Form, Shall We Meet Again? (어디서 무엇이 되어 다시 만나랴) |
| Robert Charles Zaehner | United Kingdom | 8 April 1913 | 24 November 1974 | Scholar | Zurvan, Mysticism, Our Savage God |
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2025) |
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.
| Names | Country | Birth | Death | Occupation | Notable work |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vicente Aleixandre |  Spain | 26 April 1898 | 14 December 1984 | Poet | |
| Michail Sholokhov |  Russia | 24 May 1905 | 21 February 1984 | Novelist | And Quiet Flows the Don |
Spain has a copyright term of life + 80 years for creators that died before 1988. [4] In Colombia and Equatorial Guinea, a work enters the public domain 80 years after the creator's death.
| Names | Country | Birth | Death | Occupation | Notable work |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacinto Benavente | Spain | 12 August 1866 | 14 July 1954 | Writer | The Unloved Woman |
Under the Copyright Term Extension Act, books published in 1939, films released in 1939, and other works published in 1939 will enter the public domain in 2035. [5] Sound recordings published in 1934 and unpublished works whose authors died in 1964 will also enter the public domain.
The most famous films entering the public domain in 2035 are two adaptations directed by Victor Fleming: MGM's The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland, and Selznick International's Best Picture Academy Award winner Gone with the Wind starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, both of which have been celebrated for their innovative use of Technicolor and are widely considered to be among the greatest motion pictures of all time. The entry of the former film is more significant given its widespread influence in popular culture, and will bring along the film's trademark designs and portrayals for L. Frank Baum's world and characters [a] as well as its entire incidental and song score, including its signature song "Over the Rainbow". Also entering the public domain are multiple Hollywood films that are considered classics among their respective genres: Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington with Jean Arthur and James Stewart, Sam Wood's Goodbye, Mr. Chips with Robert Donat, John Ford's Stagecoach starring John Wayne, Dark Victory with Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart, Leo McCarey's Love Affair with Irene Dunne, Ernst Lubitsch's Ninotchka starring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas, Hal Roach's Of Mice and Men adaptation with Burgess Meredith, and William Wyler's adaptation of Wuthering Heights with Merle Oberon and Laurence Olivier.
Other notable films entering the public domain this year include 20th Century Fox's two Sherlock Holmes films with Basil Rathbone, Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game , Jesse James starring Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda, Busby Berkeley's Babes in Arms starring Garland and Mickey Rooney, Dodge City starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, George Cukor's The Women , Ford's Drums Along the Mohawk with Fonda and Claudette Colbert, Michael Curtiz's The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex , William Dieterle's adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Charles Laughton, Condemned To Be Shot (one of the earliest television films), Hugh Harman's animated short film Peace on Earth , the final Betty Boop cartoons, and Walt Disney's last Silly Symphony short The Ugly Duckling . The modern character designs of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse will also enter the public domain.
Important literary works that will enter the public domain in 2035 include James Joyce's final work Finnegans Wake , John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath , Agatha Christie's crime novel And Then There Were None , Raymond Chandler's The Big Sleep introducing Philip Marlowe, Richard Llewellyn's novel How Green Was My Valley , Ernest Vincent Wright's novel Gadsby , Stanley G. Weinbaum's post-apocalyptic novel The Black Flame , the science fiction short stories I, Robot by Eando Binder and Marooned off Vesta by Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein's short story Life-Line , T. S. Eliot's poetry book Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats (the source material for Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Cats ), Joseph Kesselring's play Arsenic and Old Lace , Lindsay and Crouse's Life with Father , J. B. Priestley's novel Let the People Sing , Jorge Luis Borges' short story Pierre Menard, Author of the Quixote in its original Spanish, Hergé's Tintin story King Ottokar's Sceptre in its original French black-and-white version, and the children's books Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys by H. A. Rey (which introduced the monkey character now known as Curious George) in its original French, and Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans. The first comic books of DC Comics' Batman, as well as the original character of the Human Torch from Marvel Comics (not to be confused with Johnny Storm, a member of the Fantastic Four who were introduced much later), will also become public domain in 2035. The same will happen for the booklet from the Montgomery Ward department store chain that introduced the character of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, who would later become the focus of a popular Christmas song; and for the premiere issues of The Kenyon Review , Startling Stories , Poetry London and Famous Fantastic Mysteries .
Artworks entering the public domain include Salvador Dalí's The Enigma of Hitler , Edward Hopper's Cape Cod Evening, Frida Kahlo's oil painting The Two Fridas , and Fernand Leger's Adam and Eve.
Popular songs entering the public domain include "Moonlight Serenade", "God Bless America", "If I Didn't Care", "What's New?", and the nursery rhyme "I'm A Little Teapot". Prokofiev's Alexander Nevsky will also become public domain in the United States this year.
