It's a new year, and that means more works are falling into the public domain. This year, thousands of copyrighted works created in 1929, including early versions of Popeye and the Belgian comic book character Tintin, are now free to reproduce and re-use in the US.
Duke Law School's Center for the Study of the Public Domain scored once again All of the most iconic works that have been released have been freed from copyright restrictions, including the 1924 sound recording. As Duke Law School points out, 1929 was a particularly important year for film, as it was the first year with sound.
These are some of the works coming into the public domain this year (you can check it out). Full list here,
The list also includes Popeye, who first appeared in EC Segar's Thimble Theater comic strip with a story titled “Gobs of Work”. But this isn't the Popeye who eats spinach to develop bigger muscles; The Mighty Sailor didn't start eating spinach to gain strength until 1932 (though the first Popeye could still throw a punch).
Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke's Center for the Study of the Public Domain, said, “Everything he says, all his characterizations, his personality, his sarcasm… that's public domain.” told npr“Foster, if you want to be safe, you might want to wait.”
The earliest version of the young reporter Tintin and his puppy Snowy (or “Milou” if you speak French) is from Hergés. les adventures de tintin Also moving towards public domain. But people in the European Union, where protection lasts for the author's lifetime and 70 years after his death, will have to wait a little longer for a copyright-free Tintin. According to Duke University, since Hergé died in 1983, the European Union will not see Tintin in the public domain until 2054.
Like works of previous years, this latest round of media could have appeared in the public domain much earlier, but in 1998 US lawmakers extended copyright protection for works dating back to 1923 and beyond for an additional 20 years – easily enough for Disney. Protected the mascot Mickey Mouse. But Disney couldn't keep its iconic mouse forever Steamboat Willie-Eug Mickey Entered the public domain last yearWe're getting even more Mickey Mouse animations, including a short film, in 2025 carnival kidWhere Mickey Mouse puts on his white gloves for the first time and says his first words: “Hot dogs.”
There will be an even wider range of classic characters available for use next year, with Betty Boop and Pluto set to enter the public domain in 2026.