All films that were published in the United States before 1923 (i.e. they came out in 1922 or earlier and they first appeared in the US as opposed to another country) are in the public domain. However, there are several potential problems with assuming pre-1923 movies lack copyright protection.
Art, film, photography, literature - all of the arts fall under the same copyright laws. Works made before 1978 and after 1923, 95 years. Works after that, life of the creator or filmmaker, plus 70 years.
January 1, 2023 is Public Domain Day: Works from 1927 are open to all! On January 1, 2023, copyrighted works from 1927 will enter the US public domain. 1 They will be free for all to copy, share, and build upon.
It endured for 28 years, at the end of which the author or proprietor (in the case of a work made for hire) could renew the copyright registration of the work, for an additional 28 years of protection. (Failure to renew the registration resulted in expiration of copyright after the 28th year.)
Public domain movies website Review | copyright and free to use films from 1900 to the present
Did Winnie the Pooh copyright expire?
Walt Disney Co. has controlled the rights to Winnie-the-Pooh since 1961 and kept depictions of Milne's talking animals true to the spirit of the family-friendly material. The copyright expired in January 2022. Since then, Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends have been available to the public for other purposes.
The beloved mouse that is nearly a century old will soon enter public domain — the original Mickey Mouse's copyright expires in 2024. This anthropomorphic mouse is recognizable even by the silhouette of his ears and, in some ways, has been the face of The Walt Disney Co. since his 1928 creation.
In truth, the earliest version of Mickey Mouse, which first appeared in the 1928 landmark animated short Steamboat Willie, will be entering the public domain when the film's copyright expires in 2024.
Pooh, Piglet, Kanga, Roo, Owl, Eeyore and Christopher Robin all became public domain on January 1 last year when the copyright on A.A. Milne's 1926 book, Winnie-the-Pooh, with illustrations by E.H. Shepard, expired.
Here's what's happened with 'The Great Gatsby' since it entered the public domain in 2021. F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby was published on April 10, 1925, and entered the public domain in 2021 after the 95 year United States copyright law protection was up.
You cannot change or alter the work. You may use up to 10%, but no more than 3 minutes, of a single movie, TV show or video. You may use up to 10%, but no more than 30 seconds, of music and lyrics from a single musical work. You must purchase performance rights to hold a live performance of a copyrighted work.
The children's book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written by L. Frank Baum in 1900 is in the public domain. This follows the general rule that any work published before 1923 is in the public domain. The film, The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland and directed in 1939 by Victor Fleming is NOT in the public domain.
You must have the rights to the film if it's still in copyright. That means pretty much any movie made since 1928. Track down whoever has the rights and ask how much to license the film. Make sure you include colorization in your contract.
These exclusive rights are subject to a time and generally expire 70 years after the author's death or 95 years after publication. In the United States, works published before January 1, 1928, are in the public domain.
Many classic creations will be following in Winnie the Pooh's footsteps and entering the public domain in the next few years. In addition to Winnie the Pooh, Piglet and Eeyore have already been released into the public domain. Following them, Tigger's copyright protection is set to lapse in 2024.
Mickey Mouse, Batman, Superman and Bugs Bunny all become public domain in the next 10 years. The Hundred Acre Wood has seen some pretty unsettling things over the years.
To utilise Disney characters without violating their rights, you must obtain permission from The Walt Disney Company or its subsidiaries. Its characters are protected by copyright and trademark laws, and unauthorised use can lead to legal consequences.
According to US copyright law, the rights for a character expire 95 years after the publication of the original work. Disney will lose the Mickey Mouse copyright for Steamboat Willie in 2024, since the short animated film was produced and distributed in 1928.
And over the next dozen years or so, many other well-known characters will see their copyright expire, too, including: Mickey Mouse (2024) Pluto (2025) Donald Duck (2029)
So the copyright on the works of fantasy author J.R.R. Tolkien, who died in 1973, will now expire in 2043, meaning the Lord of the Rings trilogy and many of his other works will become public domain on Jan. 1, 2044.
How could that happen? Isn't Mickey the intellectual property of The Walt Disney Company? Yes, however, once a copyrighted work is 94 years old, it loses its copyright and becomes accessible for public use (this is called 'public domain').
