What entered the public domain in 2026
On 1 January, US copyright expired for works published in 1930. In life-plus-70 countries, work by authors who died in 1955 became free.
Each 1 January, a year of culture becomes free to copy, adapt and sell. Which year depends on where you are.
In the United States: works from 1930
Works published in 1930 had a 95-year term, which ended on 31 December 2025. Among them:
- The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie, the first novel featuring Miss Marple.
- As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner.
- The Secret of the Old Clock, the first Nancy Drew mystery.
- All Quiet on the Western Front, the 1930 film adaptation.
- Dizzy Dishes, the cartoon where an early Betty Boop first appears.
In life-plus-70 countries: authors who died in 1955
The EU, the UK and many other countries count from the author's death. Work by Thomas Mann and the painter Fernand Léger, both of whom died in 1955, entered the public domain there this year.
Three traps
- Later versions stay protected. A character's 1930 form is free. Traits added in later films or books are not, until those works expire too.
- Trademarks do not expire with copyright. A character's name or image used as a brand on merchandise can still be a registered mark.
- Translations and restorations are new works. A 2004 translation of a 1930 novel has its own copyright. Work from the original or a translation that is itself in the public domain.
How to check a work
Find the first publication date and the country. For US works published between 1929 and 1963, also check whether the copyright was renewed: many were not, and those entered the public domain early.
This article is general information, not legal advice for your situation.