2024 in public domain
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 2024. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
Countries with life + 70 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 For previously unpublished material, those who publish it first will have the publication rights for 25 years.
Names | Country | Birth | Death | Occupation | Notable work |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hans Aanrud | ![]() | 3 September 1863 | 11 January 1953 | Writer | |
Tamar Abakelia | ![]() | 19 August 1905 | 14 May 1953 | Sculptor | |
Abdullah Yusuf Ali | ![]() | 14 April 1872 | 10 December 1953 | Translator | The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary |
Dimitri Arakishvili | ![]() | 11 February 1873 | 13 August 1953 | Composer | The Legend of Shota Rustaveli |
Walter Armitage | ![]() | 1 June 1906 | 22 February 1953 | Playwright | |
Vladimir Bakaleinikov | ![]() | 3 October 1885 | 5 November 1953 | Composer, conductor | |
Rudolf Bauer | ![]() | 11 February 1889 | 28 November 1953 | Painter | |
Arnold Bax | ![]() | 8 November 1883 | 3 October 1953 | Composer, writer | List of compositions by Arnold Bax |
Harmsen van der Beek | ![]() | 8 October 1897 | 24 July 1953 | Illustrator, commercial artist | Noddy |
Hilaire Belloc | ![]() | 27 July 1870 | 16 July 1953 | Writer | Hilaire Belloc bibliography |
Róbert Berény | ![]() | 18 March 1887 | 10 September 1953 | Painter | Sleeping Lady with Black Vase |
Henri Bernstein | ![]() | 20 June 1876 | 27 November 1953 | Playwright | Samson, Mélo |
Elsa Beskow | ![]() | 11 February 1874 | 30 June 1953 | Writer, illustrator | |
Ugo Betti | ![]() | 4 February 1892 | 9 June 1953 | Playwright, judge | The Fugitive |
Henrik Bull | ![]() | 28 March 1864 | 2 June 1953 | Architect | National Theatre |
Ivan Bunin | ![]() | 4 February 1892 | 9 June 1953 | Writer | List of short stories by Ivan Bunin, List of poems by Ivan Bunin |
John Horne Burns | ![]() | 7 October 1916 | 11 August 1953 | Writer | The Gallery |
Rosario Candela | ![]() | 7 March 1890 | 3 October 1953 | Architect | 740 Park Avenue |
Harold Cazneaux | ![]() | 30 March 1878 | 19 June 1953 | Photographer | Cazneaux Tree |
Ahmed Ghulam Ali Chagla | ![]() | 31 May 1902 | 5 February 1953 | Composer | "Qaumi Taranah" |
Albert Coates | ![]() | 23 April 1882 | 11 December 1953 | Composer, conductor | |
Ruth Crawford Seeger | ![]() | 3 July 1901 | 18 November 1953 | Composer | String Quartet 1931 |
Peter DeRose | ![]() | 10 March 1896 | 23 April 1953 | Composer | "Deep Purple" |
Raoul Dufy | ![]() | 3 June 1877 | 23 March 1953 | Painter | |
Edmund Dulac | ![]() | 22 October 1882 | 25 May 1953 | Illustrator | |
Jean Epstein | ![]() | 25 March 1897 | 2 April 1953 | Film director | The Fall of the House of Usher |
Georges Le Faure | ![]() | 12 June 1856 | 25 May 1953 | Writer | |
Emil Filla | ![]() | 4 April 1882 | 7 October 1953 | Painter | |
Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński | ![]() | 23 January 1905 | 6 December 1953 | Poet | Skumbrie w tomacie |
Albert Gleizes | ![]() | 8 December 1881 | 23 June 1953 | Painter, writer | List of works by Albert Gleizes |
Milt Gross | ![]() | 4 March 1895 | 29 November 1953 | Cartoonist | |
Guccio Gucci | ![]() | 26 March 1881 | 2 January 1953 | Fashion designer | |
Sophia Hayden | ![]() | 17 October 1868 | 3 February 1953 | Architect | The Woman's Building |
Mary Brewster Hazelton | ![]() | 23 November 1868 | 13 September 1953 | Painter | |
Jindřich Heisler [fr] | ![]() | 1 September 1914 | 4 January 1953 | Photographer, writer and surrealist artist | |
Cecil Hepworth | ![]() | 19 March 1874 | 9 February 1953 | Film director, producer | Alice in Wonderland (1903 film) |
Tatsuo Hori | ![]() | 28 December 1904 | 28 May 1953 | Writer | The Wind Has Risen |
Curuppumullage Jinarajadasa | ![]() | 16 December 1875 | 18 June 1953 | Writer | Art as a factor in the soul's evolution |
Joseph Jongen | ![]() | 14 December 1873 | 12 July 1953 | Composer | Mass, Op. 130 |
Emmerich Kálmán | ![]() | 24 October 1882 | 30 October 1953 | Composer | Die Csárdásfürstin |
Thiru. V. Kalyanasundaram | ![]() | 26 August 1883 | 17 September 1953 | Writer | |
Fritz Kirchhoff | ![]() | 10 December 1901 | 25 June 1953 | Film director | Attack on Baku |
Moïse Kisling | ![]() | 22 January 1891 | 29 April 1953 | Painter | |
Eduard Künneke | ![]() | 27 January 1885 | 27 October 1953 | Composer | The Cousin from Nowhere |
Elisabeth Kuyper | ![]() | 13 September 1877 | 26 February 1953 | Composer | |
Jorge de Lima | ![]() | 23 April 1893 | 15 November 1953 | Politician, writer | |
Will Longstaff | ![]() | 25 December 1879 | 1 July 1953 | Painter | Menin Gate at Midnight |
Oskar Luts | ![]() | 7 January 1887 | 23 March 1953 | Writer, playwright | |
Kornel Makuszyński | ![]() | 8 January 1884 | 31 July 1953 | Writer | Koziołek Matołek |
Herman J. Mankiewicz | ![]() | 7 November 1897 | 5 March 1953 | Screenwriter | Citizen Kane |
Emmanuel de Margerie | ![]() | 11 November 1862 | 20 December 1953 | Geographer | |
John Marin | ![]() | 23 December 1870 | 2 October 1953 | Painter | |
Daniel Gregory Mason | ![]() | 20 November 1873 | 4 December 1953 | Composer, music critic | |
Erich Mendelsohn | ![]() | 21 March 1887 | 15 September 1953 | Architect | List of works by Erich Mendelsohn |
Moses Milner | ![]() | 29 December 1886 | 25 October 1953 | Composer | |
Mime Misu | ![]() | 29 December 1886 | 25 October 1953 | Dancer, film director | In Nacht und Eis, Das Mirakel |
Vera Mukhina | ![]() | 1 July 1889 | 6 October 1953 | Sculptor, painter | Worker and Kolkhoz Woman |
Sulaiman Nadvi | ![]() | 22 November 1884 | 22 November 1953 | Writer | Khutbat-e-madras |
Ibrahim Nagi | ![]() | 1 July 1889 | 6 October 1953 | Poet | "Al-Atlal" |
Francesco Saverio Nitti | ![]() | 19 July 1868 | 20 February 1953 | Politician | |
Hisato Ohzawa | ![]() | 1 August 1907 | 28 October 1953 | Composer | Piano Concerto No. 3 |
Eugene O'Neill | ![]() | 16 October 1888 | 27 November 1953 | Playwright | Long Day's Journey into Night |
Francis Picabia | ![]() | 22 January 1879 | 30 November 1953 | Painter | List of works by Francis Picabia |
Joseph Pinchon | ![]() | 17 April 1871 | 20 June 1953 | Illustrator | Bécassine |
Uroš Predić | ![]() | 7 December 1857 | 12 February 1953 | Painter | Happy Brothers |
Alice Prin | ![]() | 22 January 1879 | 30 November 1953 | Model, painter, writer | Kiki's Memoirs |
Sergei Prokofiev | ![]() | 27 April 1891 | 5 March 1953 | Composer, conductor | List of compositions by Sergei Prokofiev |
Vsevolod Pudovkin | ![]() | 16 February 1893 | 30 June 1953 | Film director, screenwriter | |
Roger Quilter | ![]() | 1 November 1877 | 21 September 1953 | Composer | Arnold Book of Old Songs |
Rachilde | ![]() | 11 February 1860 | 4 April 1953 | Writer | Monsieur Vénus |
Graciliano Ramos | ![]() | 27 October 1892 | 20 March 1953 | Writer, translator | Vidas secas |
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings | ![]() | 8 August 1896 | 14 December 1953 | Author | The Yearling |
Django Reinhardt | ![]() | 23 January 1910 | 16 May 1953 | Composer, musician | |
Winold Reiss | ![]() | 16 September 1886 | 23 August 1953 | Painter | Winold Reiss industrial murals |
Pasquale Rizzoli | ![]() | 9 April 1871 | 30 January 1953 | Sculptor | |
Ludomir Różycki | ![]() | 18 September 1883 | 1 January 1953 | Composer | |
Max Sainsaulieu | ![]() | 17 July 1870 | 21 February 1953 | Architect | Carnegie Library of Reims |
Rudolph Schindler | ![]() | 10 September 1887 | 22 August 1953 | Architect | Schindler House |
Edward Shanks | ![]() | 11 June 1892 | 4 May 1953 | Writer | Fête Galante |
Everett Shinn | ![]() | 6 November 1876 | 1 May 1953 | Painter | |
Joseph Stalin | ![]() | 18 December 1879 | 5 March 1953 | Politician | Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR |
Vladimir Tatlin | ![]() | 28 December 1885 | 31 May 1953 | Painter, architect | Tatlin's Tower |
Neyzen Tevfik | ![]() | 24 March 1879 | 28 January 1953 | Poet, satirist | |
Jérôme Tharaud | ![]() | 18 May 1874 | 28 January 1953 | Writer | |
Dylan Thomas | ![]() | 27 October 1914 | 9 November 1953 | Poet | List of works by Dylan Thomas |
Totius | ![]() | 21 February 1877 | 1 July 1953 | Poet | |
Julian Tuwim | ![]() | 13 September 1894 | 27 December 1953 | Poet | "Murzynek Bambo" |
Jules Van Nuffel | ![]() | 21 March 1883 | 25 June 1953 | Composer | In convertendo Dominus |
Bernard Carra de Vaux | ![]() | 1867 | 1953 | Orientalist | |
Vydūnas | ![]() | 22 March 1868 | 20 February 1953 | Poet | |
Erich Weinert | ![]() | 4 August 1890 | 20 April 1953 | Writer | "Der heimliche Aufmarsch" |
Ben Ames Williams | ![]() | 7 March 1889 | 4 February 1953 | Writer | The Unconquered |
Hank Williams | ![]() | 17 September 1923 | 1 January 1953 | Musician | List of songs written by Hank Williams |
Arthur Wimperis | ![]() | 3 December 1874 | 14 October 1953 | Lyricist, screenwriter | The Arcadians, Mrs. Miniver |
Friedrich Wolf | ![]() | 23 December 1888 | 5 October 1953 | Writer | Professor Mamlock |
Xu Beihong | ![]() | 19 July 1895 | 26 September 1953 | Painter | |
Vsevolod Zaderatsky | ![]() | 21 December 1891 | 1 February 1953 | Composer | |
John Stepan Zamecnik | ![]() | 14 May 1872 | 13 June 1953 | Composer |
Countries with life + 60 years
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Babu Gulabrai | ![]() | 17 January 1888 | 13 April 1963 | Writer | |
Nâzım Hikmet | ![]() | 17 January 1902 | 3 June 1963 | Poet | Kız Çocuğu |
Amar Nath Kak | ![]() | 1889 | 1963 | Writer | |
Rajendra Prasad | ![]() | 3 December 1893 | 28 February 1963 | Politician, writer | |
Acharya Shivpujan Sahay | ![]() | 9 August 1893 | 21 January 1963 | Writer | |
Laxminarayan Sahu | ![]() | 3 October 1890 | 18 January 1963 | Writer | |
Rahul Sankrityayan | ![]() | 9 April 1893 | 14 April 1963 | Activist, writer | |
Anasuya Shankar | ![]() | 1 September 1928 | 29 July 1963 | Writer | |
Hemendra Kumar Roy | ![]() | 2 September 1888 | 18 April 1963 | Writer | |
Laudelino Mejías | ![]() | August 1893 | 30 November 1963 | Composer |
Countries with life + 50 years
In most countries of Africa and Asia, as well as Belarus, Bolivia and New Zealand, a work enters the public domain 50 years after the creator's death.
Names | Country | Birth | Death | Occupation | Notable work |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Zainal Abidin Ahmad | ![]() | 16 September 1895 | 23 October 1973 | Writer, linguist | |
W. H. Auden | ![]() | 21 February 1907 | 29 September 1973 | Poet | |
Charles Brasch | ![]() | 27 July 1909 | 20 May 1973 | Poet, editor | Landfall |
Elizabeth Bowen | ![]() ![]() | 7 June 1899 | 22 February 1973 | Biologist | |
Pearl S. Buck | ![]() | 26 June 1892 | 6 March 1973 | Novelist | The Good Earth |
Amílcar Cabral | ![]() ![]() | 12 September 1924 | 20 January 1973 | Activist | Esta É a Nossa Pátria Bem Amada |
John Creasey | ![]() | 17 September 1908 | 9 June 1973 | Writer | Gideon's Day |
Bobby Darin | ![]() | 14 May 1936 | 20 December 1973 | Musician | |
Noël Coward | ![]() | 16 December 1899 | 26 March 1973 | Playwright | Noël Coward on stage and screen |
Henry Darger | ![]() | 12 April 1892 | 13 April 1973 | Novelist, artist | In the Realms of the Unreal |
Arthur Freed | ![]() | 9 September 1894 | 12 April 1973 | Lyricist, film producer | Singin' in the Rain |
John Ford | ![]() | 1 February 1894 | 4 August 1973 | Director | John Ford filmography |
Ragnar Frisch | ![]() | 3 March 1895 | 31 January 1973 | Economist | |
Anthony Gilbert | ![]() | 15 February 1899 | 9 December 1973 | Writer | The Vanishing Corpse |
Lyndon B. Johnson | ![]() | 27 August 1908 | 22 January 1973 | Politician | |
Bruce Lee | ![]() | 27 November 1940 | 20 July 1973 | Martial artist | Tao of Jeet Kune Do |
Kathleen Lindsay | ![]() | 1903 | 1973 | Writer | |
Gian Francesco Malipiero | ![]() | 18 March 1882 | 1 August 1973 | Composer, musicologist | L'Orfeide |
Cornelia Meigs | ![]() | 1884 | 1973 | Childrens writer | The Windy Hill |
Nancy Mitford | ![]() | 28 November 1904 | 30 June 1973 | Writer | The Pursuit of Love |
Pablo Neruda | ![]() | 12 July 1904 | 23 September 1973 | Poet | Canto General, Oda al Gato |
Robert C. O'Brien | ![]() | 11 January 1918 | 5 March 1973 | Writer | Z for Zachariah |
Kid Ory | ![]() | 25 December 1886 | 23 January 1973 | Composer | Red Allen, Kid Ory & Jack Teagarden at Newport |
Gram Parsons | ![]() | 5 November 1946 | 19 September 1973 | Musician | |
Isabel Peacocke | ![]() | 31 January 1881 | 12 October 1973 | Writer | Cathleen with a 'C' |
Pablo Picasso | ![]() | 25 October 1881 | 8 April 1973 | Painter | Guernica, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon |
Pixinguinha | ![]() | 23 April 1897 | 17 February 1973 | Composer | |
William Plomer | ![]() | 10 December 1903 | 20 September 1973 | Writer | |
Andy Razaf | ![]() | 16 December 1895 | 3 February 1973 | Lyricist | Ain't Misbehavin' |
Ivan T. Sanderson | ![]() | 30 January 1991 | 19 February 1973 | Biologist | |
Mohammed ash-Shanqîtî [fr] | ![]() ![]() | 17 February 1905 | 10 January 1973 | Muslim scolar | Works |
Allan Sherman | ![]() | 30 November 1924 | 20 November 1973 | Comedian | "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp)" |
J. R. R. Tolkien | ![]() | 3 January 1892 | 2 September 1973 | Writer | J. R. R. Tolkien bibliography |
Valentin Tomberg | ![]() | 26 February 1900 | 24 February 1973 | Mystic | Meditations on the Tarot |
Âşık Veysel | ![]() | 25 October 1894 | 21 March 1973 | Composer | |
Alan Watts | ![]() | 6 January 1915 | 16 November 1973 | Philosopher | Alan Watts bibliography |
Countries with life + 80 years
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.
Names | Country | Birth | Death | Occupation | Notable work |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carlos Arniches | ![]() | 11 October 1866 | 16 April 1943 | Playwright | |
Carmen Karr | ![]() | 16 March 1865 | 29 December 1943 | Activist, composer | |
Francisco Rodríguez Marín | ![]() | 27 January 1855 | 9 June 1943 | Poet | |
José Jurado de la Parra | ![]() | 8 February 1856 | 21 July 1943 | Poet, playwright | |
Guillermo Valencia | ![]() | 29 October 1873 | 8 July 1943 | Poet, translator |
Australia and Canada
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 e.g. British 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, and no more Australian authors will come out of copyright until 1 January 2026 (those who died in 1955).[1]
Similarly, Canada amended its Copyright Act in 2022 from a "plus 50" law to a "plus 70" law, coming into force on December 30, 2022, but not reviving expired copyright.[2][3] No more new authors will come out of copyright in Canada until 1 January 2043 (those who died in 1972). Crown copyright was not changed, thus works published in 1973 entered the public domain in 2024.[4]
United States
Sound recordings that were published in 1923 entered the public domain.[5]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Mickey_Mouse.svg/220px-Mickey_Mouse.svg.png)
Under the Copyright Term Extension Act, books published in 1928, films released in 1928, and other works published in 1928, entered the public domain in 2024.[7] Unpublished works whose authors died in 1953 entered the public domain.
The earliest incarnations of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse entered the public domain work in 2024 through Steamboat Willie and the silent versions of Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho. The sound versions of the latter two shorts will enter the public domain in 2025.[8] The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne, including the character Tigger, entered the public domain in 2024. Notable films which entered the public domain in the United States include Abie's Irish Rose, Charlie Chaplin's The Circus, Buster Keaton's The Cameraman, In Old Arizona, The Man Who Laughs, Noah's Ark, The Passion of Joan of Arc, Lights of New York, The Singing Fool, and Harold Lloyd's final silent feature, Speedy.
Additional notable works which entered the public domain in the United States include Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence, Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf, The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall, Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág, Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh, The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie, Story of the Eye by Georges Bataille, The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht, and An American in Paris by George Gershwin.
See also
- 1953 in literature and 1973 in literature for deaths of writers
- Public Domain Day
- Creative Commons
References
- ^ "How long does copyright last?". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
- ^ "An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 7, 2022 and other measures". Parliament of Canada. 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
- ^ "PC Number: 2022-1219". Government of Canada. 2022-11-17. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
- ^ "Crown Copyright - FAQ". Government of Canada. www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
- ^ Hirtle, Peter B. (3 January 2020). "Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States". Cornell University Library Copyright Information Center. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- ^ Reed, Rachel. "Harvard Law IP expert explains how Disney has influenced US copyright law to protect Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh". Harvard Law School. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
- ^ "Copyright and the Public Domain". Public Domain Information Project. Archived from the original on 2014-08-01. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
- ^ "Mickey's Headed to the Public Domain! But Will He Go Quietly? – Office of Copyright". Office of Copyright. 2014-10-17.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- "Authors by Year of Death – 1953". AuthorAndBookInfo.com.
- Popular Books of 1928 at Goodreads
- Public Domain Day 2024 at the Center for the Study of the Public Domain, Duke University School of Law