2025 in public domain

When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of works that enter the public domain in 2025. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.

Entering the public domain in countries with life + 70 years

With the exception of Belarus (Life + 50 years) and Spain (which has a copyright term of Life + 80 years for creators that died before 1987), a work enters the public domain in Europe 70 years after the creator's death, if it was published during the creator's lifetime. For previously unpublished material, those who publish it first will have the publication rights for 25 years. The list is sorted alphabetically and includes a notable work of the creator that entered the public domain on 1 January 2025.

Names Country Birth Death Occupation Notable work
Sait Faik Abasıyanık  Turkey 18 November 1906 11 May 1954 Writer
Franco Alfano  Italy 8 March 1875 27 October 1954 Composer List of operas by Franco Alfano
Oswald de Andrade  Brazil 11 January 1890 22 October 1954 Writer
Lionel Barrymore  United States 28 April 1878 15 November 1954 Actor, film director Lionel Barrymore on stage, screen and radio
Jacinto Benavente  Spain 12 August 1866 14 July 1954 Writer
Werner Bischof   Switzerland 26 April 1916 16 May 1954 Photographer
Robert Capa  Hungary 22 October 1913 25 May 1954 Photographer
Colette  France 28 January 1873 3 August 1954 Writer
André Derain  France 10 June 1880 8 September 1954 Painter, sculptor
Wilhelm Furtwängler  Germany 10 June 1880 8 September 1954 Conductor, composer
E. Ray Goetz  United States 12 June 1886 12 June 1954 Composer, lyricist "For Me and My Gal"
Heinz Guderian  Germany 17 June 1888 14 May 1954 General Achtung – Panzer!, Panzer Leader
James Hilton  United Kingdom 9 September 1900 20 December 1954 Writer Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Lost Horizon
Sydney Horler  United Kingdom 18 July 1888 27 October 1954 Writer
Raymond Hubbell  United States 1 June 1879 13 December 1954 Composer, lyricist "Poor Butterfly"
Charles Ives  United States 20 October 1874 19 May 1954 Composer List of compositions by Charles Ives
Hans Janowitz  Germany 2 December 1890 25 May 1954 Screenwriter The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Frida Kahlo  Mexico 6 July 1907 13 July 1954 Painter List of paintings by Frida Kahlo
Kalki Krishnamurthy  India 9 September 1899 5 December 1954 Writer Ponniyin Selvan
Achille Longo  Italy 28 March 1900 28 May 1954 Composer
Gino Loria  Italy 19 May 1862 30 January 1954 Mathematician
Henri Matisse  France 31 December 1869 3 November 1954 Painter, sculptor List of works by Henri Matisse
Getúlio Vargas  Brazil 19 April 1882 24 August 1954 Politician Carta Testamento
Alpheus Hyatt Verrill  United States 23 July 1871 14 November 1954 Writer, zoologist
Dziga Vertov  Soviet Union 2 January 1896 12 February 1954 Film director
Francis Brett Young  United Kingdom 29 June 1884 28 March 1954 Writer, composer

Entering the public domain in countries with life + 80 years

Spain has a copyright term of life + 80 years for creators that died before 1987. The list is sorted alphabetically and includes a notable work of the creator that entered the public domain on 1 January 2025.

Names Country Birth Death Occupation Notable work
Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński  Poland 22 January 1921 4 August 1944 Poet
George Herriman  United States 22 August 1880 25 April 1944 Cartoonist Krazy Kat
Winsor McCay  United States 1866–71 26 July 1944 Cartoonist, illustrator and animator Little Nemo
Dream of the Rarebit Fiend
Gertie the Dinosaur
Piet Mondrian  Netherlands 7 March 1872 1 February 1944 Painter and art theoretician Gray Tree
Composition with Red Blue and Yellow
Broadway Boogie Woogie
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry  France 29 June 1900 31 July 1944 Writer The Little Prince
W. Heath Robinson  United Kingdom 13 May 1872 13 September 1944 Cartoonist, illustrator, artist

Countries with life + 60 years

India

Names Country Birth Death Occupation Notable work

Entering the public domain in countries with life + 50 years

In most countries of Africa and Asia, as well as Belarus, Bolivia, New Zealand, Egypt and Uruguay; a work enters the public domain 50 years after the creator's death.

Names Country Birth Death Occupation Notable work
Farid al-Atrash  Syria
 Egypt		 1917 26 December 1974 Musician
Hector Bolitho  New Zealand 28 May 1897 12 September 1974 Author
Maurice Duggan  New Zealand 25 November 1922 11 December 1974 Writer
Julius Evola  Italy 19 May 1898 11 June 1974 Philosopher Revolt Against the Modern World
Eve Langley  New Zealand 1 September 1904 1 June 1974 Writer
Margaret MacPherson  New Zealand 19 June 1895 14 September 1974 Writer, journalist
Robert Charles Zaehner  United Kingdom 8 April 1913 24 November 1974 Historian of religion, Spy Zurvan. A Zoroastrian Dilemma, Mysticism: Sacred and Profane, Our Savage God

Australia and Canada
See also: Copyright law of Australia and Copyright law of Canada

In 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 bought some e.g. British 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 will come out of copyright until 1 January 2026 (those who died in 1955).[1]

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.[2][3] No more new Canadian authors will come out of copyright until 1 January 2043 (those who died in 1972).

United States
See also: Public domain in the United States
Among the works entering the public domain in the United States in 2025 is the Marx Brothers film The Cocoanuts

Under the Copyright Term Extension Act, books published in 1929, films released in 1929, and other works published in 1929, will enter the public domain in 2025.[4] Sound recordings that were published in 1924 will enter the public domain.[5] The character Popeye the Sailor Man will enter the public domain in 2025.[6]

Unpublished works whose authors died in 1954 will enter the public domain in 2025.

Among the works that will enter public domain in 2025 is the first film of The Marx Brothers, The Cocoanuts, second Academy Award for Best Picture winner The Broadway Melody, Buster Keaton's final full-length feature as a director, Spite Marriage, Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali's film Un Chien Andalou, René Magritte's painting The Treachery of Images, Ernest Hemingway's novel A Farewell to Arms,Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay's novel Pather Panchali, the first part of the 14th edition of Encyclopædia Britannica, and the first Silly Symphony cartoons, including The Skeleton Dance. It also includes the first appearance of Herge's Tintin.

See also

References
  1. "How long does copyright last?". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  2. "An Act to implement certain provisions of the budget tabled in Parliament on April 7, 2022 and other measures". Parliament of Canada. 2022-06-23. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
  3. "PC Number: 2022-1219". Government of Canada. 2022-11-17. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
  4. "Copyright and the Public Domain". Public Domain Information Project. Archived from the original on 2014-08-01. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
  5. Hirtle, Peter B. (3 January 2020). "Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States". Cornell University Library Copyright Information Center. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  6. "Eat Your Spinach with a Side of Public Domain". Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library. 2021-03-26. Archived from the original on 2021-03-26. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
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