January 1st marks a new year, a new month, and a new entry in the list of works in the public domain. In 2024, many popular intellectual properties will lose their copyright protection, especially first iteration of mickey mouse — There are more than a few notable additions in 2025. As of January 1, 2025, several iconic books and characters are available to the public for free. Ernest Hemingway’s “A Farewell to Arms” as the original Popeye.
List of popular intellectual property that will be in the public domain in 2025
The 1929 production and the 1924 sound recording were released to all in the United States. This means that all the books, movies, songs, and art published throughout the Roaring Twenties are not copyrighted, making 2025 a significant year for the public domain.
Introducing notable works that are newly available for free.
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway; The Sound and Fury by William Faulkner; The Mystery of the Seven Dials by Agatha Christie; First English version of All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, translated by Arthur. Wesley Wien’s “The Rope,” Patrick Hamilton’s “Carnival Kid,” Mickey Mouse’s first Talk appearance and debut of his signature white gloves, along with 11 other Mickey shorts and the Marx Brothers’ first feature film, “The Coconut”, directed by Robert Florey and Joseph Santory, “Skeleton Dance”, Disney’s first short “ Silly Symphony” directed by Walt Disney, Ubu Iwerks animation “Blackmail” ”, Alfred Hitchcock’s first sound film “Hallelujah” King Vidor directed the comic “Gobs of Work” for Thimble Theater, a studio film with an all-black cast, one of the first major productions. EC Seeger’s Popeye character Le Petit Vinthième Hergé’s Tintin character that appeared in the magazine comic “Les Les” The Adventures of Tintin” “Singin’ in the Rain” Music: Nacio Herb Brown Lyrics: Arthur Freed “An American in Paris” Composer: George Gershwin “Toe Through the Tulips”, music: Joseph Burke, lyrics: Alfred Dubin
What exactly does “public domain” mean?
If a work is in the public domain, there is no copyright protection. That means anyone is free to use and build on it.
“There are no fees, no licenses, no ownership tracking, no permissions,” said Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke University’s Center for Public Domain Research. told CBS News’ Lee Cowan in 2024..
How does public domain work?
Copyright protects original works for a limited time. Once this protection expires, the work enters the public domain. The Founding Fathers wrote this concept into the U.S. Constitution under the Intellectual Property Clause, with the purpose of “promoting the progress of science and the useful arts.”
However, the laws governing the public domain can be difficult. Example: Mickey Mouse returned to the public in 2024, but this classification only applied to his first appearance in Steamboat Willie in 1928. It wasn’t until 1929 that Mickey began wearing white gloves, and any public reinterpretation showing this feature before this year could have been liable for copyright infringement.
When does intellectual property become public domain?
In the United States, the length of copyright protection for any particular property depends on a variety of factors. Generally, for works published or registered before 1978, the period lasts 95 years. For works created after this date, protection typically lasts for the author’s life plus 70 years.
“Public domain does not mean the death of copyright,” Jenkins said. “This is just the second part of the copyright lifecycle.”
What will be in the public domain in 2026?
2026 will be another exciting year for the public domain as works from 1930 lose their copyright. Early versions of Betty Boop, Mickey Mouse’s dog Pluto and his friend Clarabelle Cow, teenage detective Nancy Drew, MC Escher’s The Bridge, Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, and more will no longer be protected.
Lee Cowan contributed to this report.
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