As of Jan. 1, 2025, all the books, films, songs, and art published in the 1920s or earlier are now public domain. Audio recordings up to 1924 are also in the public domain, following slightly different rules of a 100-year copyright, compared to the 95 years for film, literature, and written musical compositions.

When a work enters the public domain, the public no longer needs to seek the artist’s permission to copy or use the work. This opens the door for creative riffs on the classics and makes these materials available free of charge.

So, what are the big titles newly in public domain? The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, and A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf are a few notable literary works. In film, you can find works by legendary directors from Alfred Hitchcock to John Ford. Other works feature Mickey Mouse, the Marx Brothers, Popeye, Tintin, and the musical number Singin’ in the Rain.

Here are some places to check out the newest creative works now in the public domain:

• Hathi Trust Digital Library – These materials from the Google Books Project have been digitized for years, but as of Jan. 1, the full-text is now available to everyone.
• Center for the Study of Public Domain – Duke’s Public Domain Day page has some great selected highlights.
• The Public Domain Review – This journal specializes in mining the public domain.
• The UI Libraries Catalog – Search InfoHawk+ to find digital versions of public domain works.

Interested in finding out more about U.S. copyright law and how to determine a work’s copyright status? The Scholarly Impact Department helps faculty work through complex copyright issues, such as what can be used in the classroom, how to retain your rights as an author, and how to apply Creative Commons licensing. Feel free to email Mahrya Burnett at mahrya-burnett@uiowa.edu to set up a consultation. You might also try the Libraries Copyright Guide. This guide provides the basics on copyright issues, such as Fair Use, seeking permissions, author rights, and licensing.