New To The Public Domain in 2026

With the new year comes a new batch of books, music and other works entering the public domain.

How does that work?

Copyright law is a confusing thing at the best of times.

Under current law here in the US, anything published or copyrighted before 1978 enters the public domain after 95 years, with one exception.  Music, specifically recordings, gets five more years until 2048, then there's a 10 year pause on music until 2058.  Sheet music is still subject to the 95 year term.

One big thing to understand is that when something enters the public domain, only that very specific thing does.  Adaptations, reprints, and subsequent connected works (like sequels) are still copyrighted until their respective copyright terms expire.

As an example, while the original Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales The Little Mermaid and The Ice Queen are both long in the public domain, Disney's versions of them (The Little Mermaid and Frozen) are very much still copyrighted.

So let's get into it, with just a sampling.

Movies

• All Quiet on the Western Front, which was the first movie to win Academy Awards for both Outstanding Picture and Best Director, along with being the first movie adaptation of a book to win Best Picture.
  • The original novel entered the public domain in 2024.

• Animal Crackers, starring the Marx Brothers.
  • The original version, a stage play, entered the public domain in 2024.

• The Big Trail, John Wayne's first leading role

Books

• As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner

• The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett, which was later adapted into a movie starring Humphrey Bogart in 1941.  The movie is still under copyright.

• The first four Nancy Drew books by Carolyn Keene.
  • As I mentioned earlier, later books are still copyrighted until their terms expire, as are reprints of these four books.

• The Little Engine That Could, by Watty Piper

Sheet Music

As a reminder, only the sheet music for these are now public domain.  Most performances and recordings are still copyrighted.

• Four songs by George and Ira Gershwin - I Got Rhythm, I've Got a Crush on You, But Not for Me, and Embraceable You.

• Georgia on My Mind, lyrics by Stuart Gorrell, music by Hoagy Carmichael

• On the Sunny Side of the Street, lyrics by Dorothy Fields, music by Jimmy McHugh

Music Recordings

• Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen, recorded by Marian Anderson

• Yes Sir, That's My Baby, recorded by Gene Austin

• Sweet Georgia Brown, recorded by Ben Bernie and His Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra

• The St. Louis Blues, recorded by Bessie Smith, featuring Louis Armstrong

Cartoons and Comics

Here's where things get a little interesting, at least in my opinion.

• Betty Boop.  A slasher movie centered around the character has already been announced, continuing a trend of such movies that already includes Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse (in his original incarnation from Steamboat Willie) and Popeye as each of them entered the public domain.

• Disney's Rover, who was eventually renamed and became famous as Pluto.  Also, additional Mickey Mouse cartoons.

• Dagwood and Blondie Bumstead from the Blondie comic strip.
  • Again, only the original incarnations of these two characters are public domain.  Other characters from the strip and their current versions are still copyrighted.