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.
In fact, some of the most important films in history are now part of the public domain. As a general note, any film made before 1928 will now be in the public domain so definitely look up some classics from the first few decades of cinema.
In the United States, any motion pictures made and featured before 1925 are permanently within the public domain. Current public domain laws state that any new films have copyrights for 95 years.
There are a small handful of early Disney films in the public domain beyond Steamboat Willie—among them are Minnie's Yoo Hoo, which doesn't have a copyright at all, and The Mad Doctor, whose copyright wasn't renewed.
Public domain movies can be downloaded legally and freely, and these aren't unwatchable B-movies, either. In just a few clicks, you can download and watch some of the most legendary movies ever produced. In this article, we'll talk about what the phrase "public domain" actually means.
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.
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.
The public domain isn't exactly something that happens quickly. According to the rules, something enters the public domain after 70 years. Oh, I'm sorry, 70 years after the creator's death. Meaning that we will not see Harry Potter in the public domain in our lifetime.
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.
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.
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.
What happens when a movie enters the public domain?
Once that period of time expires, or if the creator failed to comply with any legal formalities required at the time of creation or thereafter, the work enters the public domain - meaning it belongs to everyone, without restriction.
Although the original character that appeared in Oz books published before 1923 is in the public domain, the later versions of the character (used in post-1923 Oz books) are NOT in the public domain. The visual expression of the Scobby-Doo character is a registered trademark.
Since Shrek was created by DreamWorks Animation in 2001, its copyright will not expire until at least 2096. Therefore, it will not enter the public domain for many decades. Who owns Shrek? Shrek is owned by DreamWorks Animation which is part of Comcast's Universal Pictures and NBCUniversal.
The Bond books written solely by Ian Fleming are public domain in countries that recognise a 50 year posthumous copyright term e.g. Canada, Australia, etc.), Fleming having died in 1964. In countries which recognise a 70 year term (e.g. the UK/EU, USA, etc.), they will be public domain after the end of 2034.
Studios, an expanded rewrite of the original Lovelace novelization, Merian C. Cooper's King Kong (the original novelization's publishing rights are still in the public domain), and various crossovers with other franchises such as Doc Savage, Tarzan and Planet of the Apes.
You won't like this. Assuming the proper renewals have been made, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe won't fall into the public domain in the U.S. until 2045. (In the UK, it's only protected until 2033.) The others will follow at appropriate intervals until The Last Battle, in 2051.
As a public domain character with an established reputation, Robin Hood was an attractive feature for comic book publishers from the birth of the medium.
How long a copyright lasts—and thus keeps an IP out of the public domain—differs by country. But in the U.S., it's 95 years for most IP created before 1978 (see more on this below), and Pooh had run out that clock, meaning that now anyone can make content featuring the lovable, or otherwise, bear.
Generally, copyright protection lasts for the length of the author's life plus another 70 years. In the case of joint works, copyright protection lasts for the length of the life of the last surviving joint author plus another 70 years.
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.
The original Little Mermaid story or 'Den lille havfrue' was published in 1837 and has long since been in the public domain. In 1989 Disney Studios took advantage of the fact that this literary work was in the public domain and released their animated movie.
Mary Poppins She is never named as "Mary Poppins" because the character is not in the public domain. In general, the book character of Winnie the Pooh (think the stuffed teddy bear with no shirt from the original illustrations and toy) is in the public domain. Rita Hayworth Gilda image: Columbia Pictures.
