2025 in public domain
  The art of Henri Matisse (left) and Frida Kahlo (right) entered the public domain in Europe in 2025; however, at this time, Kahlo's works remained copyrighted in her native Mexico. When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of works is not uniform. The following lists list creators whose works entered the public domain in 2025 under the most common copyright regimes. Countries with life + 80 yearsSpain 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.
Countries with life + 70 yearsExcept for Belarus (Life + 50 years)[1] and Spain (which has a copyright term of Life + 80 years for creators that died before 1988), a work enters the public domain in Europe 70 years after the creator's death, if it was published during the creator's lifetime.[2][3] As such, the works of all authors who died in 1954 entered the European public domain in 2025. Two of the most important authors whose works entered the European public domain in 2025 were Henri Matisse, one of the most revolutionary artists of the early 20th century and a key figure in multiple art movements; and Frida Kahlo, arguably the most recognized Mexican painter. At this time, the latter's works remained copyrighted in her native country. Other significant examples of authors whose works entered the public domain included actor and film director Lionel Barrymore (already partially public domain in his native United States), architects Auguste Perret and William Van Alen (the respective designers of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and the Chrysler Building in New York City), cartoonists Bud Fisher and George McManus, Italian composers Franco Alfano and Achille Longo, German composers Walter Braunfels and Herms Niel, Austrian composer Fred Raymond, American composers Charles Ives and Arthur Johnston (the latter of whom wrote "Cocktails for Two"), Man with a Movie Camera director Dziga Vertov, founding father of Chinese cinema Zhang Shichuan (already public domain in his native China), French painters André Derain and Jacques Gachot, Portuguese sculptor Maximiano Alves, gospel blues musician Washington Phillips, Lost Horizon author James Hilton, British novelist Francis Brett Young, Gigi author Colette, German author of the Dr. Mabuse novels Norbert Jacques, German writer and filmmaker Thea von Harbou, Italian writer Enrico Cavacchioli, Spanish writer Jacinto Benavente, and American novelist Maxwell Bodenheim. The publications of mathematicians Gino Loria and Alan Turing and physicist Enrico Fermi also entered the public domain, along with an experimental film by the inventor of the cinematograph, Auguste Lumière. Countries with life + 60 yearsIn Bangladesh, Haiti, India, and Venezuela a work enters the public domain 60 years after the creator's death.
Countries with life + 50 yearsIn 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.
RussiaRussia has a copyright term of life + 70 years in general, with two special provisions:
1954 marks the first large wave of posthumous rehabilitations.
Australia and CanadaIn 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 (British and possibly other) 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 would come out of copyright until 1 January 2026 (those who died in 1955).[4] 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 does not revive expired copyright.[5][6] No more new Canadian authors will come out of copyright until 1 January 2043 (those who died in 1972). Crown copyright was not changed, thus any government works published in 1974 entered the public domain in 2025.[7] United States.jpg) Under the Copyright Term Extension Act, books and other works published in 1929 and films released in 1929 entered the public domain in 2025.[8][9] Unpublished works whose authors died in 1954 also entered the public domain.[8] The character Captain Easy,[10] Popeye the Sailor Man,[a] Disney's Horace Horsecollar, and Hergé's Tintin entered the public domain through their respective debut appearances in 2025.[11][b] The same happened for the first Tarzan strips illustrated by Hal Foster.[10] On the other hand, the character Buck Rogers (who also first appeared in U.S. newspapers the same year) was already in the public domain as his first strips failed to have their copyrights renewed, despite claims to the contrary.[12] Two notable music compositions that entered the public domain in 2025 were George Gershwin's An American in Paris and Maurice Ravel's Boléro; though composed in 1928, they were not published until 1929.[12] Among the popular songs that entered the public domain that year were Fats Waller's song "Ain't Misbehavin'", Cole Porter's song "What Is This Thing Called Love?", the musical number "Singin' in the Rain", "Tip Toe Through the Tulips", "Happy Days Are Here Again", "Am I Blue?", "You Were Meant For Me",[12] "Honeysuckle Rose" (also written by Waller), "Can't We Be Friends?", and "Without A Song".[13] Sound recordings that were published in 1924 also entered the public domain,[8] including the first recordings of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, Jelly Roll Morton's "King Porter Stomp", Irving Berlin's songs "Lazy"[12] and "What'll I Do?",[13] "It Had to Be You", "California, Here I Come",[12] and "Somebody Loves Me".[13] Notable films that entered the public domain in 2025 included the following:[12][13]
_cover.jpg) Significant literary works entering the public domain included Ernest Hemingway's novel A Farewell to Arms, Virginia Woolf's essay A Room of One's Own, William Faulkner's novel The Sound and the Fury, Oliver La Farge's novel Laughing Boy, Walter Lippmann's A Preface to Morals, James Thurber's Is Sex Necessary? Or, Why You Feel the Way You Do (co-written by E. B. White), Robert Graves' autobiography Good-Bye to All That, Patrick Hamilton's play Rope, Richard Hughes' A High Wind in Jamaica, John Steinbeck's first novel Cup of Gold, Dashiell Hammett's novel Red Harvest and the original serialized version of his Maltese Falcon, the first English translation of Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, Agatha Christie's crime novel The Seven Dials Mystery, The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen,[12] Alfred Döblin's novel Berlin Alexanderplatz in its original German, S. S. Van Dine's detective novel The Scarab Murder Case, Sinclair Lewis' novel Dodsworth, the children's book Hitty, Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field, Thomas Wolfe's novel Look Homeward, Angel, Jean Cocteau's novel Les Enfants Terribles in its original French, and William Seabrook's novel The Magic Island, the first book to introduce the concept of a zombie.[13] Important artworks that entered the public domain included Salvador Dalí's paintings The Great Masturbator and The Accommodations of Desire, Wassily Kandinsky's painting Upward, Edward Hopper's painting Chop Suey, Kawamura Kiyoo's painting Founding of the Nation, Julio Romero de Torres' painting La Fuensanta, M. C. Escher's print Strada di Scanno, the first design of the Barcelona chair, and August Sander's photograph Berlin Coal Carrier and other photographs from his 1929 photobook Face of our Time. The public domain status of René Magritte's painting The Treachery of Images is contentious.[needs update][12] WorldwideOn February 25, 2025, it was announced that the 3D printing computermodel 3DBenchy will enter the public domain through a CC0-license.[14][15] A 3D printable computermodel of the sculpture Best Friends Forever in which Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein are holding hands is released into the public domain.[16] See also
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