This is an update to our earlier articles on Public Domain Day here and here.

Since the first copyright act was signed into law by George Washington in 1790, copyright protection has been limited to a term of years. Originally, the term was set as a single period of 14 years, but over time two alternative sets of copyright terms were enacted: 1) life of the author plus 70 years or 2) 95 years for works created by legal entities, such as partnerships or companies. When the copyright term expires, the owner’s exclusive right to control the work’s exploitation ends and the covered work enters the “public domain,” meaning it is free for anyone to copy and exploit. For ease of computation, the term ends at the close of the calendar year. So besides being known as New Year’s Day, for copyright aficionados, January 1st is also known as “Public Domain Day.”

As in years past, many memorable works enter the public domain in 2025. For example:
• Literary works such as Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, and Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury and beloved children’s classics such as the original Popeye and Tintin;
• Songs such as Singin’ in the Rain, What Is This Thing Called Love, and Happy Days Are Here Again;
• Films such as On With the Show and Show Boat.

Each of these works and hundreds of others are now available for new and creative uses, such as turning old stories into inspired TV series, reimagining public domain songs into popular TikTok musical themes or assembling brilliant old photographs into grand and expansive visual displays.

So, if you are looking for something else to celebrate this New Year, raise a toast to Public Domain Day and the new artistic horizons that public domain status provides for creators everywhere.