-
Coming 2027Agatha Christie (all works, life+50 countries)Agatha Christie · 1976 · Books
Christie died on 12 January 1976. In countries with a life+50 term (for example China, Egypt, South Africa, the UAE and Saudi Arabia) her whole catalogue, Poirot and Marple included, becomes free in 2027.
Life+50 2027 -
Coming 2027Dracula (1931 film)Tod Browning, Universal (Bela Lugosi) · 1931 · Films
Lugosi's cape-and-accent Count, the image most people picture as Dracula. The film is free in the US, as is the Spanish-language version shot on the same sets.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027Frankenstein (1931 film)James Whale, Universal (Boris Karloff) · 1931 · Films
The Universal film that fixed the monster's look: flat head, neck bolts, Karloff's lumbering walk. The film and that 1931 design are free in the US.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027Winnie-the-Pooh (UK, EU and life+70 countries)A. A. Milne · 1926 · Books
Milne died in January 1956, so his Pooh books, poems (When We Were Very Young, Now We Are Six) and plays become free across the UK, the EU and other life+70 countries. The US freed the 1926 book in 2022 and The House at Pooh Corner (Tigger) in 2024.
Life+70 2027US 2022 -
Coming 2028Apixaban (Eliquis)Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer · 2028 · Patents
One of the world's top-selling drugs. US patents end between 2026 and 2027, but settlements put generic entry around April 2028.
US 2028 -
Coming 2027All of Me (song)Gerald Marks, Seymour Simons · 1931 · Music
One of the most recorded jazz standards. Composition free in the US.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027As Time Goes By (song)Herman Hupfeld · 1931 · Music
Written in 1931 for a Broadway revue, made immortal by Casablanca (1942). The music and lyrics become free in the US.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027Bertolt Brecht (plays and poems)Bertolt Brecht · 1956 · Books
The Threepenny Opera, Mother Courage, Life of Galileo, The Caucasian Chalk Circle. Brecht died in August 1956, so his works become free in life+70 countries, ending one of the strictest estates in theatre.
Life+70 2027 -
Coming 2027City LightsCharlie Chaplin · 1931 · Films
Chaplin's silent masterpiece with the Tramp and the blind flower girl. Free in the US from 2027.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027Futura (Paul Renner's design)Paul Renner · 1927 · Typefaces
Renner, who designed Futura, died in 1956, so his own drawings and writings become free in life+70 countries. Typeface designs have never been protected by copyright in the US.
Life+70 2027 -
Coming 2027Jackson Pollock (paintings)Jackson Pollock · 1956 · Art
Pollock died in August 1956: his drip paintings become free in life+70 countries.
Life+70 2027 -
Coming 2027MFritz Lang (Peter Lorre) · 1931 · Films
Lang's serial killer thriller, one of the most influential crime films ever made. Free in the US from 2027.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027Pluto (named, as Mickey's dog)Walt Disney Productions · 1931 · Characters
The Moose Hunt (1931) is the first cartoon where the dog is called Pluto and belongs to Mickey. That version joins Rover (1930) in the US public domain.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027The Good EarthPearl S. Buck · 1931 · Books
Pulitzer Prize novel about a Chinese farming family, a bestseller for two years and a key reason Buck won the Nobel.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027The Persistence of Memory (melting clocks)Salvador Dalí · 1931 · Art
Dalí's melting clocks. Wikipedia lists it among 1931 works becoming free in the US.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027The Story of Babar (original French)Jean de Brunhoff · 1931 · Books
The elephant king's first book. Free in Europe since 2008 (de Brunhoff died in 1937); the original French edition becomes free in the US in 2027.
US 2027Life+70 2008 -
Coming 2027Brother, Can You Spare a Dime? (song)Yip Harburg, Jay Gorney · 1931 · Music
The anthem of the Great Depression.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027C. S. Forester (Hornblower, The African Queen)C. S. Forester · 1966 · Books
Forester died in 1966, so India (life+60) frees Hornblower and The African Queen in 2027.
India 2027 -
Coming 2027Çalıkuşu (The Wren)Reşat Nuri Güntekin · 1922 · Books
One of Turkey's best-loved novels; Güntekin died in December 1956, so Turkey (life+70) frees it in 2027.
Life+70 2027 -
Coming 2027Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931 film)Rouben Mamoulian (Fredric March) · 1931 · Films
The first horror film to win an acting Oscar. Free in the US from 2027.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027Heebie Jeebies (1926 recording)Louis Armstrong and His Hot Five · 1926 · Recordings
The famous early scat-singing record. US sound recordings from 1926 enter the public domain in 2027 under the Music Modernization Act.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027Ibrutinib (Imbruvica)AbbVie, Johnson & Johnson · 2026 · Patents
The US compound patent runs to December 2026, with pediatric exclusivity to June 2027.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027Minnie the Moocher (song)Cab Calloway, Irving Mills · 1931 · Music
The hi-de-ho call-and-response song. Composition free in the US.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027US 2027
-
Coming 2027Nancy Drew: The Secret at Shadow Ranch and The Secret of Red Gate FarmCarolyn Keene (Mildred Benson) · 1931 · Books
The 1931 original texts of two Nancy Drew mysteries.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027Palbociclib (Ibrance) and dulaglutide (Trulicity)Pfizer; Eli Lilly · 2027 · Patents
Two blockbuster drugs whose key US protection is listed as ending in 2027.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027Pietr the Latvian (first Maigret)Georges Simenon · 1931 · Characters
The first novel with Inspector Maigret, in its original French, is free in the US.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1939 story)Robert L. May · 1939 · Books
May's original story poem; he died in 1976.
Life+50 2027 -
Coming 2027SanctuaryWilliam Faulkner · 1931 · Books
Faulkner's darkest and best-selling novel of his early career.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027The Glass KeyDashiell Hammett · 1931 · Books
Hammett's own favourite of his novels, a political crime story.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027The Living Shadow (The Shadow)Walter B. Gibson · 1931 · Characters
The first pulp novel starring The Shadow, the cloaked vigilante who inspired Batman.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027The Public EnemyWilliam A. Wellman (James Cagney, Jean Harlow) · 1931 · Films
The gangster film with the grapefruit scene that made Cagney a star.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027The Sittaford MysteryAgatha Christie · 1931 · Books
A snowbound Christie mystery that starts with a séance.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027The WavesVirginia Woolf · 1931 · Books
Woolf's most experimental novel. Already free in Europe since 2012; the US catches up in 2027.
US 2027Life+70 2012 -
Coming 2027Tintin in the Congo (original black-and-white)Hergé · 1931 · Characters
The original French album of Tintin's second adventure is free in the US, along with the first pages of Tintin in America.
US 2027 -
Coming 2027Max Ernst, Alexander Calder, Man Ray, L. S. Lowry (art)Various · 1976 · Art
Major 20th-century artists who died in 1976 become free in life+50 countries.
Life+50 2027 -
Coming 2027Life+50 2027
-
Coming 2027India 2027US 2026
-
Coming 2027Walter de la Mare (poems and stories)Walter de la Mare · 1956 · Books
The British poet and ghost-story writer (The Listeners, Memoirs of a Midget).
Life+70 2027 -
New in 2026How to Win Friends and Influence PeopleDale Carnegie · 1936 · Books
One of the best-selling self-help books ever. Carnegie died in 1955, so it is free in the EU, the UK, Australia and other life+70 countries.
Life+70 2026 -
New in 2026I Got Rhythm, Embraceable You, But Not for MeGeorge and Ira Gershwin · 1930 · Music
Four Gershwin songs, including I Got Rhythm, the source of the "rhythm changes" chord progression.
US 2026 -
New in 2026Semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy compound)Novo Nordisk · 2026 · Patents
The compound patent on the world's best-selling weight-loss drug ended in early 2026 in Canada (Novo let it lapse), China, India and Brazil. Health Canada received generic filings and generics launched in India.
Canada 2026China 2026India 2026Brazil 2026 -
New in 2026Thomas Mann (all works)Thomas Mann · 1955 · Books
Buddenbrooks, The Magic Mountain, Death in Venice, Doctor Faustus. Mann died in 1955, so all his works became free in Europe and other life+70 countries, Australia included.
Life+70 2026 -
New in 2026Albert Einstein (writings)Albert Einstein · 1955 · Books
Einstein's papers, books and letters published in his lifetime became free in life+70 countries.
Life+70 2026 -
New in 2026All Quiet on the Western Front (1930 film)Lewis Milestone · 1930 · Films
Best Picture winner, one of the great anti-war films.
US 2026 -
New in 2026As I Lay DyingWilliam Faulkner · 1930 · Books
Faulkner's novel of the Bundren family's journey, told in 15 voices.
US 2026 -
New in 2026Betty Boop (1930 debut)Fleischer Studios · 1930 · Characters
Betty Boop's first appearances (Dizzy Dishes and three other 1930 cartoons), when she still had dog ears.
US 2026 -
New in 2026Dream a Little Dream of MeFabian Andre, Wilbur Schwandt, Gus Kahn · 1930 · Music
Registered in 1930, so free in the US in 2026.
US 2026 -
New in 2026US 2026
-
New in 2026Lapsed patents (unpaid maintenance fees)Patent owners worldwide · 2006 · Patents
Every patent filed 20 years ago (2006) has now expired, and many younger US patents lapse early because owners stop paying maintenance fees at 3.5, 7.5 and 11.5 years. Their full technical drawings and instructions are free to use.
Worldwide 2026 -
New in 2026Nancy Drew (first four books)Carolyn Keene (Mildred Benson) · 1930 · Characters
The original texts of the first four Nancy Drew books, starting with The Secret of the Old Clock, and the character as introduced.
US 2026 -
New in 2026P. G. Wodehouse (Jeeves and Wooster, life+50 countries)P. G. Wodehouse · 1975 · Books
Wodehouse died in 1975: Jeeves, Wooster and Blandings became free in life+50 countries.
Life+50 2026 -
New in 2026The Little Engine That Could (1930 illustrated version)Watty Piper, art by Lois Lenski · 1930 · Books
The popular illustrated version of the "I think I can" story.
US 2026 -
New in 2026The Maltese Falcon (novel)Dashiell Hammett · 1930 · Books
The full book version introducing Sam Spade. The novel and the character as written are free in the US.
US 2026 -
New in 2026The Murder at the Vicarage (first Miss Marple novel)Agatha Christie · 1930 · Books
The first novel featuring Miss Marple.
US 2026 -
New in 2026The St. Louis Blues (1925 recording)Bessie Smith with Louis Armstrong · 1925 · Recordings
One of the great blues records, free as a recording in the US.
US 2026 -
New in 2026US 2026
-
New in 2026Australia's first new public domain in 20 yearsAuthors who died in 1955 · 1955 · Other
Australia moved from life+50 to life+70 in 2005 without reviving expired works, so nothing new entered for twenty years. On 1 January 2026 works by authors who died in 1955 became free there, and Trove opened 1955 newspapers.
Australia 2026 -
New in 2026Blondie and Dagwood (1930 strips)Chic Young · 1930 · Characters
The first year of the Blondie comic strip.
US 2026 -
New in 2026Body and Soul, On the Sunny Side of the StreetJohnny Green; Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields · 1930 · Music
Two of the most recorded jazz standards.
US 2026 -
New in 2026Civilization and Its Discontents (German original)Sigmund Freud · 1930 · Books
Freud's essay on happiness and society, in the original German. Freud died in 1939, so it has been free in Europe since 2010.
US 2026Life+70 2010 -
New in 2026Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow (1930)Piet Mondrian · 1930 · Art
Mondrian died in 1944, so his work has been free in Europe since 2015; this 1930 painting is now free in the US too.
US 2026Life+70 2015 -
New in 2026Dick and Jane (Elson Basic Readers)William H. Elson, William S. Gray · 1930 · Books
The first appearances of the reading-primer characters.
US 2026 -
New in 2026Dmitri Shostakovich (music, life+50 countries)Dmitri Shostakovich · 1975 · Music
His symphonies and the famous Waltz No. 2.
Life+50 2026 -
New in 2026Fernand Léger and Yves Tanguy (art)Fernand Léger; Yves Tanguy · 1955 · Art
The cubist and the surrealist both died in 1955.
Life+70 2026 -
New in 2026Hannah Arendt (works, life+50 countries)Hannah Arendt · 1975 · Books
The Human Condition, Eichmann in Jerusalem.
Life+50 2026 -
New in 2026José Ortega y Gasset (works)José Ortega y Gasset · 1955 · Books
The Revolt of the Masses and his essays.
Life+70 2026 -
New in 2026Jules Rimet Cup (original World Cup trophy design)Abel Lafleur · 1930 · Art
The original FIFA World Cup trophy, as a sculpture.
US 2026 -
New in 2026Last and First MenOlaf Stapledon · 1930 · Books
A science-fiction history of humanity over two billion years.
US 2026 -
New in 2026Rover (later Pluto), 1930Walt Disney Productions · 1930 · Characters
The dog's first appearances in The Chain Gang and The Picnic, plus nine 1930 Mickey cartoons and the first week of Mickey comic strips.
US 2026 -
New in 2026Sitagliptin (Januvia, Janumet)Merck · 2026 · Patents
Generics were allowed on the US market from May 2026 under a settlement.
US 2026 -
New in 2026Sleigh Ride and The Typewriter (life+50 countries)Leroy Anderson · 1975 · Music
Leroy Anderson died in 1975: his light-music hits became free in life+50 countries.
Life+50 2026 -
New in 2026US 2026
-
New in 2026The Blue Angel and MoroccoJosef von Sternberg (Marlene Dietrich) · 1930 · Films
Dietrich's two breakthrough films.
US 2026 -
New in 2026Winston Churchill, T. S. Eliot (India, life+60)Winston Churchill; T. S. Eliot · 1965 · Books
Both died in 1965, so India freed their works in 2026.
India 2026 -
New in 2026Life+70 2026
-
New in 2026Cakes and AleW. Somerset Maugham · 1930 · Books
Maugham's novel. Maugham died in 1965, so India freed all his works in 2026.
US 2026India 2026 -
New in 2026Murder! (Hitchcock) and L'Âge d'Or (Buñuel and Dalí)Alfred Hitchcock; Luis Buñuel · 1930 · Films
Early Hitchcock and the surrealist classic.
US 2026 -
New in 2026US 2026
-
New in 2026Thornton Wilder (Our Town, life+50 countries)Thornton Wilder · 1975 · Books
Our Town and The Bridge of San Luis Rey.
Life+50 2026 -
New in 2026Wallace Stevens and Paul Claudel (poetry)Wallace Stevens; Paul Claudel · 1955 · Books
Two major poets who died in 1955.
Life+70 2026 -
EarlierSteamboat Willie (1928 Mickey and Minnie)Walt Disney, Ub Iwerks · 1928 · Characters
The first released Mickey Mouse sound cartoon and the 1928 Mickey and Minnie designs became free in the US in 2024.
US 2024 -
EarlierSherlock Holmes (all stories in the US)Arthur Conan Doyle · 1927 · Characters
The last Holmes stories became free in the US in 2023, ending the estate's licensing claims there. In Europe, everything has been free since 2001.
US 2023Life+70 2001 -
EarlierLFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery cathodeUniversity of Texas, Hydro-Québec and others · 1996 · Patents
The key LFP cathode patents expired around 2022, letting makers outside China build the cheap, safe batteries now used in many EVs and home storage.
Worldwide 2022 -
EarlierWinnie-the-Pooh and Tigger (US)A. A. Milne, E. H. Shepard · 1926 · Characters
The 1926 book became free in the US in 2022 and The House at Pooh Corner (Tigger) in 2024. The horror film Blood and Honey showed the demand.
US 2022 -
EarlierThe Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald · 1925 · Books
Free in the US since 2021 and in Europe since 2011, it has since become one of the most adapted books (musicals, novels, games).
US 2021Life+70 2011 -
EarlierThe Little Prince (with a French catch)Antoine de Saint-Exupéry · 1943 · Books
Free in most of Europe since 2015.
US 2039Life+70 2015 -
EarlierFused deposition modeling (FDM 3D printing)S. Scott Crump, Stratasys · 1989 · Patents
The core FDM patent expired in 2009 and set off the cheap desktop 3D printer boom (RepRap, MakerBot, Prusa).
Worldwide 2009 -
EarlierUnrenewed US books, 1929 to 1963Thousands of authors · 1963 · Other
US works published before 1964 needed a copyright renewal after 28 years. Most were never renewed, so a large share of mid-century US books, magazines and pulp stories are already public domain.
US 1992 -
EarlierUS federal government worksNASA, NOAA, USGS, US military and others · various · Other
Works made by US federal employees for their jobs are public domain from the start: NASA photos, USGS maps, NOAA data, military manuals, federal reports.
US · -
EarlierPopeye and Tintin (1929 debuts, US)E. C. Segar; Hergé · 1929 · Characters
Popeye's first Thimble Theatre strips and Tintin in the Land of the Soviets became free in the US in 2025.
US 2025 -
EarlierMP3 audio formatFraunhofer IIS and others · 1991 · Patents
Fraunhofer ended its MP3 licensing programme in 2017 after the last patents expired. MP3 is now free to implement.
Worldwide 2017 -
EarlierOpen access museum collections (CC0)The Met, Rijksmuseum, Smithsonian, Art Institute of Chicago and others · various · Art
Hundreds of thousands of high-resolution images of public domain art released with no restrictions.
Worldwide 2017 -
EarlierSelective laser sintering (SLS 3D printing)Carl Deckard, University of Texas · 1986 · Patents
Key SLS patents expired around 2014, opening cheaper powder-bed printers.
Worldwide 2014 -
EarlierPeter Pan (with a UK catch)J. M. Barrie · 1904 · Books
Barrie died in 1937, so Peter Pan is free in most of the world.
Life+70 2008US 1968 -
EarlierRSA public-key encryptionRivest, Shamir, Adleman (MIT) · 1983 · Patents
The US RSA patent expired in September 2000, opening public-key encryption to everyone.
US 2000 -
EarlierDracula, Frankenstein, Alice, Oz, Grimm (classic novels)Stoker, Shelley, Carroll, Baum, Grimm brothers · various · Books
The evergreen public domain classics, free nearly everywhere.
Worldwide · -
EarlierSildenafil (Viagra) and atorvastatin (Lipitor)Pfizer · 1990 · Patents
Lipitor went generic in the US in late 2011; Viagra generics arrived from December 2017. Two of the biggest patent cliffs in history.
US 2011 -
EarlierLZW compression (GIF images)Unisys · 1985 · Patents
Unisys's LZW patent, which made GIF a licensing fight, expired in the US in 2003 and elsewhere in 2004.
Worldwide 2004US 2003 -
EarlierHook-and-loop fastenerGeorge de Mestral (Velcro) · 1955 · Patents
The patents expired in 1978 and cheap copies flooded in.
Worldwide 1978 -
EarlierAspirin (generic in the US, still Bayer's in many countries)Bayer · various · Trademarks
A US court ruled "aspirin" generic in 1921. In dozens of other countries, Canada and Germany included, Aspirin is still a Bayer trademark.
US 1921 -
EarlierTypeface designs (US)Type designers · various · Typefaces
In the US, the shapes of letters are not protected by copyright; only font software and names are.
US · -
EarlierThermos, yo-yo, trampoline, cellophaneVarious · various · Trademarks
Former brand names that US courts or the market turned generic (thermos in 1963, yo-yo in 1965).
US 1963 -
EarlierEscalatorOtis Elevator Company · various · Trademarks
Otis lost the trademark in 1950 after using "escalator" as a generic word in its own ads.
US 1950
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General information, not legal advice. Copyright, patent and trademark status differs by country, edition and translation: check before you publish or sell. Full disclaimer