Thousands of copyrighted works from 1929, including iconic characters like Mickey Mouse, Popeye, and Tintin, are entering the public domain on January 1st, 2025. This marks the end of a long wait for these works, which faced multiple copyright extensions over the years. While certain restrictions apply to the use of Mickey Mouse, the public domain status of these works opens up new possibilities for creativity and innovation.
’s first sound film, and songs like “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” are among the copyrighted works that will enter the
As the calendar turns on New Year’s Day, thousands of copyrighted works across literature, film, and music from 1929 become open to fair use. This year’s slate also includes the French comic icon Tintin,Jennifer Jenkins, the director of Duke Law School’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain, documents each year’s Public Domain Day highlights on
“For copyrighted culture, the public domain arrives only after a long wait,” Jenkins wrote of the 2025 entrants. “Works from 1929 were first set to go into the public domain after a 56-year term in 1985, but a term extension pushed that date to 2005. They were then supposed to go into the public domain in 2005 after being copyrighted for 75 years. But before this could happen, Congress hit another 20-year pause button and extended their copyright term to 95 years. Now the wait is over.
A similar situation could play out with Popeye, who first appeared on January 17, 1929, in the comic strip Thimble Theatre. That version alone — and not the Popeye who began appearing in animated shorts five years later— will enter the public domain in 2025.
“This year, we get new iterations of Mickey and Minnie, and the first versions of Popeye and Tintin ,” Jenkins. “Looking ahead, an exciting new cast of characters will become public domain in the coming years: Betty Boop and Pluto in 2026, Goofy in 2028 , Mary Poppins and Donald Duck in 2030, Superman in 2034, Batman in 2035, Tom and Jerry and Bugs Bunny in 2036, and Wonder Woman in 2037.
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