Commons:Character copyrights
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This is a page to document fictional characters (and representations thereof) that can and cannot be hosted on Commons because they are still subject to copyright law of the United States or free of it. This page is not a general information page about all free characters or all non-free characters.
Background
All appearances of a fictional character are covered by copyright so long as their first appearance is still protected by copyright, even if those appearances are in otherwise public domain works (see COM:CHARACTER). Future appearances will give rise to their own copyrights.
Wikimedia Commons and its servers are located in the United States and follow American copyright length, as well as the country of origin. If a work is public domain in both countries, it may be uploaded.
In the US, older works had to have their copyrights renewed after about 28 years to stay copyrighted, see Copyright renewal in the United States, this requirement was removed with the Copyright Renewal Act of 1992. Many older US works (before 1964) are in public domain due to lack of copyright renewal. Copyright registrations and renewals can be found in the Copyright Catalog.
Generally speaking, characters enter public domain either a number of years after publication or a number of years after the author's death, depending on country, see List of copyright duration by country. Furthermore, if a character's first appearance is in public domain, then the character is in public domain.
Scope
To prevent the list from being too long, we won't list any of the following:
- Characters introduced more than 150 years ago, whose creators have been dead for so long that the characters are in the public domain worldwide.
- More modern characters (introduced in 1964 or later), who are too new to be public domain for the foreseeable future (e.g. SpongeBob SquarePants). The only exceptions are characters that are prematurely in public domain (because of lack of proper copyright notice, lack of copyright registration or owner releasing them into the public domain), special cases and examples for particular media (e.g. video games) to show when characters of that medium will begin entering public domain. In the future, when enough of the listed characters have lost their eligibility for inclusion, all eligible characters introduced between 1964 and 1977 will be added to the list to replace them.
- Characters that are not notable enough (e.g. minor characters from minor works).
Many old fictional characters continue to be used commercially by the companies that own them into the present. However, as mentioned on the talk page, trademarks are irrelevant for us at Commons. We have modern trademarked logos in Commons because they weren't copyrightable, and copyright lasts for decades without any concern by the owner, unlike trademarks.
Character is in public domain and files of him are  OK to be uploaded on Commons. | |
Special case, meaning either the character is free to a degree or the copyright status is unclear for us as of this writing, assuming  Not OK. | |
| Character is not yet public domain in both the US and their source country and files of him are Not OK to be uploaded on Commons. |
The following tables gives copyright information for various fictional characters:
Multiple Media and vague/general
| Character | First appearance | Source country | Expiration | Notes | Original author/copyright owner | Renewal (if applicable) | Mediums of origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Pan, Wendy Darling, Captain Hook and other characters | The Little White Bird (1902 novel), Peter Pan, or the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up (1904 play, but was not published until 1928) Peter and Wendy (1911 novel) | United Kingdom | 1930 (for The Little White Bird), 1986 (US) (for Peter and Wendy), 2007 (UK for the novels and technically the play, but it's complicated, read notes) and 2024 (US) (for the play as despite being performed in 1904, it was not published until 1928) | The Peter Pan characters and the novels are still technically "public domain" in the United Kingdom, but a special CDPA request allows the Great Ormond Street Hospital to request royalties for the play as long as they require, see Perpetual copyright. | J.M Barrie (d. 1937) | Literature (debut) Stage (More refined debut, but copyright was effectively based on the books as the play was not published until 1928) | |
| Raggedy Ann | U.S. patent D47789 (1915) Raggedy Ann Stories (1918) | United States | 1974 | Johnny Gruelle (d. 1938) | Toy Literature | ||
| King Kong | King Kong (1933) novelisation (1932) | United States | 1932 | Often mistaken to still be under copyright. Has often had issues with trademarks in the past. See for example Universal City Studios, Inc. v. Nintendo Co., Ltd. While the films are still copyrighted, the character is in the public domain. | Merian C. Cooper (d. 1973) | Novelisation was released prior to the film without a copyright notice and was declared "Public Domain" in 1977 due to a ruling from the Universal City Studios, Inc. v. RKO General lawsuit. | Literature (debut) Live action/stop-motion hybrid (intended debut) |
| Dumbo | Dumbo, the Flying Elephant (1939) (unpublished and partially preserved, but was registered in the Copyright Office on April 17, 1939) Dumbo (1941, public appearance) | United States | 1967 (book) 2037 (film) | Often mistaken as an original character from Disney. The original book from 1939[1] is partially lost and unpublished, and it was once believed that the character copyright is effectively based on the 1941 film. However the book was registered for copyright under the registration number AA296943 on April 17, 1939,[2] and its text and some elements survive as galley proofs.[3] [a] | Helen Aberson-Mayer (d. 1999)
Harold Pearl (d. 1975) |
R442538 for the 1941 film. Copyright on the 1939 book's registration not renewed in 1967. | Literature (intended debut) Animation (public debut) |
| Many background and inconsequential characters | All works of US origin | See copyright protection for fictional characters on Wikipedia and The Moodsters on IPKitten. In US law, there exists a rather low but still existent bar for what makes a character eligible for copyright, with characters who don't serve a particularly notable role in a story or possess "distinct conceptual attributes" not being eligible for copyright even if their source material remains under copyright. However, always practice extreme caution if using such characters due to the ambiguity of this law and the remaining copyright of the wider work's content, including images of any ineligible characters. Some minor characters may have been iterated later down the line into a developed character that can be retroactively copyrighted. | General | ||||
| Lady and the Tramp | Lady and the Tramp (1955) novelisation (1953), magazine story (1945) | United States | 2049 | Tramp was based on the character from the short story "Happy Dan, the Cynical Dog" published in Cosmopolitan Magazine 1945. Lady first appeared in the Disney comic book Silly Symphonies three years before the film.[4] A book based on the film was released two years before the film. "Happy Dan" was not renewed but the others were. (The magazine which included it was renewed, but didn't count as Ward Greene passed away before the renewal period. This is a similar case to many works of Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft, whose magazine renewals didn't count for the individual stories' renewals.)[5] | Joe Grant (d. 2005)
Ward Greene (d. 1956) |
RE0000065784 for Silly Symphonies issue.
RE0000102847 for 1953 book RE0000162852 for film "Happy Dan, the Cynical Dog" did not have a copyright renewal, therefore is in the public domain which is why this entry is orange. |
Literature Film |
| The Shadow | Detective Story Hour (July 31, 1930) | United States | 1958 (radio) / 2027 (magazine) | First appeared on radio as a storyteller with a creepy voice and laugh, later became a full-fledged character in pulp fiction, starting with the story The Living Shadow published in The Shadow Magazine in 1931. | Walter B. Gibson (d. 1985) | No copyright renewal found for the radio series' scripts, which were registered but not renewed.[6]
B106697 for magazine |
Radio Literature |
Literature Origin
| Character | First appearance | Source country | Expiration | Notes | Original author/copyright owner | Renewal (if applicable) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pinocchio | Giornale per i bambini (1881-1882), The Adventures of Pinocchio (1883) | Italy | 1920 | The original character was never copyrighted in the United States. The Disney film is copyrighted until 2036 (however, its version of the character will enter public domain ahead of the film in 2035, through an adaptation published in Good Housekeeping October-November 1939 and a comic adaptation that appeared in newspapers beginning in December 1939.[7]) | Carlo Collodi (d. 1890) | |
| Count Dracula, Dr. Van Helsing and other characters | Dracula (1897) | United Kingdom | 1962 | The book was never copyrighted in the US, the Bela Lugosi iteration is under copyright until 2027. | Bram Stoker (d. 1912) | |
| Griffin | The Invisible Man (1897) | United Kingdom | 1973 (United States) / 2017 (United Kingdom) | The 1933 film is under copyright until 2029. | H. G. Wells (d. 1946) | |
| Mowgli, Baloo, Bagheera, Kaa, Shere Khan, Hathi and other characters | The Jungle Book (1894) | United Kingdom | 1970 (US) / 2007 (UK) | The Disney iterations, along with King Louie (often mistaken to have debuted in Kipling's books, which led to his accidental appearance in Fables) will remain under copyright until 2063. | Rudyard Kipling (d. 1936) | |
| Dorothy Gale, Toto, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, Tin Woodman, Wicked Witch of the West, Glinda and various other characters | The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) | United States | 1956 | All of L. Frank Baum's Oz books, including a majority of posthumous ones published pre-1930, alongside a few non-renewed ones post-1930, are in the public domain as of 2025. The 1939 film will enter the public domain in 2035. | L. Frank Baum (d. 1919) | |
| Cthulhu | "The Call of Cthulhu" (1928) | United States | 1957 | According to court testimony from a 1973 lawsuit, "The forty-six Lovecraft stories [published in Weird Tales] were not renewed by the assignees nor could they do so under the copyright law. Thus all of the stories are now in the public domain."[8][9] In fact, despite several claims to the contrary, there is currently no evidence that any company or individual owns the copyright to any of Lovecraft's works, and it is generally accepted that it has passed into the public domain.
Some elements of the Cthulhu Mythos belong to other writers that Lovecraft collaborated with, such as Clark Ashton Smith (d. 1961), August Derleth (d. 1971), Robert Bloch (d. 1994), etc. These elements may still be protected by copyright. |
H. P. Lovecraft (d. 1937) | |
| Conan the Barbarian | Weird Tales (1932) | United States | 1961 | Often mistaken to still be under copyright, Conan appeared in "The Phoenix on the Sword" in 1932, he also appeared earlier as a prototypical character the same year in "People of the Dark", neither story had their copyrights renewed. All of Robert E. Howard's Conan stories published during his lifetime are in the public domain. Stories by Howard and other authors published later on are still copyrighted. |
Robert E. Howard (d. 1936) | |
| The Sneetches | Redbook (1953) | United States | 1978 | The expansions made to their story for The Sneetches and Other Stories, which added the character Sylvester McMonkey McBean and his "star machines", remain copyrighted until 2057. | "Dr. Seuss" (d. 1991) | |
| The Zax | Redbook (1954) | United States | 1979 | Name was spelled as The Zaks in the Redbook story | "Dr. Seuss" (d. 1991) | |
| Peter T. Hooper | Scrambled Eggs Super! (1953) | United States | 1978 | Scrambled Eggs Super! is the only full Dr. Seuss book to be in the public domain because of no copyright renewal. | "Dr. Seuss" (d. 1991) | |
| Blinky Bill | Jacko, the Broadcasting Kookaburra (1933) | Australia | 1992 (Australia) / 1961 (US) | Provided as a example of a post-1931 foreign literary character that is in public domain in the US. The works featuring Blinky Bill became public domain in his home country in 1992 which was 50 years after death of both Dorothy Wall and Brooke Nicholls. The extension of Australian copyright to life+70 in 2005 was not retroactive, it was not restored by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act in the US because it was already public domain in its home country at the time on January 1, 1996. The 1992 animated series is still under copyright. | Dorothy Wall (d. 1942), Brooke Nicholls (d. 1937) | If it ever had copyright in the US, it lost copyright in 1961 due to failure to renew. |
| Tarzan | Tarzan of the Apes (1912) | United States | 1987 | Has often had issues with trademarks in the past, such as with Dynamite in 2012. Johnny Weissmuller's well-known movie iteration of the character from 1932's Tarzan the Ape Man will enter the public domain in 2028. | Edgar Rice Burroughs (d. 1950) | |
| John Carter of Mars | A Princess of Mars (1912) | United States | 1987 | Edgar Rice Burroughs (d. 1950) | ||
| Jeeves | Extricating Young Gussie (1915) | United States | 1991? | The story was not published simultaneously in the United Kingdom, the home country of the author. | P. G. Wodehouse (d. 1975) | |
| Zorro | The Curse of Capistrano (1919) | United States | 1995 | Has often had issues with trademarks in the past. See for example Sony Pictures Entertainment v. Fireworks Entertainment Group (2001). In said case the court ruled that because "the copyrights in "The Curse of Capistrano" and "The Mark of Zorro" lapsed in 1995 or before, the character Zorro has been in the public domain." The first few books and films with Zorro are in public domain. | Johnston McCulley (d. 1958) | |
| Doctor Dolittle | The Story of Doctor Dolittle (1920) | United States | 1996 (US) / 2018 (UK) | Hugh Lofting (d. 1947) | ||
| Sherlock Holmes | A Study in Scarlet (1887) | United Kingdom | 2001 (UK) | In the US, the character was never copyrighted, but the final Arthur Conan Doyle story entered the public domain in 2023.
Doyle's estate tried to sue the makers of the film Enola Holmes for copyright infringement (see Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. v. Springer), as Holmes was depicted as warmer and more emotional, something they argued he only displayed in the then-still copyrighted stories. However, the Supreme Court ruled that personality traits cannot be copyrighted, thus creating a precedent for other characters.[10][11] |
Arthur Conan Doyle (d. 1930) | |
| Peter Rabbit | The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902) | United Kingdom | 1958 (US) / 2014 (UK) | Beatrix Potter (d. 1943) | ||
| Archy and Mehitabel | The Evening Sun (1916) | United States | 1991 | Weren't depicted in illustrations until 1922 and 1926 | Don Marquis (d. 1937) | |
| Clifford the Big Red Dog and Emily Elizabeth | Clifford the Big Red Dog (1963) | United States | 1991 | The original Clifford the Big Red Dog book from 1963 was not renewed in 1991,[12] the book was later reprinted with color illustrations in 1995; that version is still under copyright. Later elements, like Clifford's origin story as a puppy and growing up due to Emily's love for him, will also remain copyrighted. | Norman Birdwell (d. 2014) | No renewal found for the original book. |
| Raggedy Andy | Raggedy Andy Stories (1920) | United States | 1993 | Johnny Gruelle (d. 1938) | ||
| Bambi, Faline, Friend Hare, and other characters. | Bambi, a Life in the Woods (1923) | Austria | 2022 (US) / 2015 (Austria and Germany) | A controversial lawsuit aka Twin Books v. Disney ruled that the book wasn't registered until 1926 in the US and many websites stated the book became public domain in the US in 2022. However, the lawsuit was heavily criticized with some people believing the book became public domain in 2019 and not 2022. The first English translation was released in 1928. The Disney iteration is still under copyright until 2038. Thumper was based on "Friend Hare" from the book. Flower is an original character made for the film. | Felix Salten (d. 1945) | |
| Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, and Daisy Buchanan | The Great Gatsby (1925) | United States | 2021 | F. Scott Fitzgerald (d. 1940) | ||
| Winnie-the-Pooh, Piglet and related characters | Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) | United Kingdom/United States | 2027 (UK for the text); 2047 (UK for the illustrations) / 2022 (US) |
Some Pooh works were simultaneously published in the United States, so they're public domain for our purposes. Pooh's red shirt, created by Stephen Slesinger and made popular by Disney, debuted in 1932 on an artwork of a record while Pooh is seen wearing a unbuttoned shirt in the books. There is no record of renewal for the artwork of the record itself or for a 1933 board game by Parker Brothers also including it, making the red shirt element also public domain. While the artwork is likely public domain, the recording is still under copyright due to the CLASSICS Act of 2018. Disney's character designs (excluding the red shirt), as well as the character of Gopher, will remain copyrighted until the period between 2062 and 2070. The character of Penguin, who didn't appear until the posthumous sequel The Best Bear in All the World was based on a real toy Christopher Robin owned and is based on the already public domain character Squeak from the Pip, Squeak and Wilfred comic strip. |
A. A. Milne (d. 1956) and E.H. Shepherd (d. 1976) | Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree (1966) RE0000636587
Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day (1968) RE0000718378 |
| Sam Spade | The Black Mask (1929) | United States | 2025 | The Maltese Falcon was initially serialized in The Black Mask.[b] It was later printed in full as The Maltese Falcon (1930).
In Warner Bros. Pictures v. Columbia Broadcasting System the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the character of Sam Spade was ineligible for copyright because "if the character is only the chessman in the game of telling the story he is not within the area of the protection afforded by the copyright" and that Sam Spade and other "characters were vehicles for the story told". |
Dashiell Hammett (d. 1961) | |
| Ostap Bender | The Twelve Chairs (1928) | Soviet Union | 2017 (Russia) / 2024 (US). | Since co-author worked during in the Eastern Front, the copyright of the book was extended in Russia with 4 years and for first time became public domain in 1997. In 2008 copyright was restored due to copyright term 70 p.m.a became retroactive, and for final time became public domain in 2017. See copyright law of Russia. | Ilya Ilf (d. 1937) Yevgeny Petrov (d. 1942) | |
| Maya the Bee | The Adventures of Maya the Bee (1912) | Germany | 2023 (Germany) / 1987 (US) | Waldemar Bonsels (d. 1952) | ||
| Nils Holgersson | Nils Holgerssons underbara resa genom Sverige (1906) | Sweden | 2011 (Sweden) / 1981 (US) | Selma Lagerlöf (d. 1940) | ||
| The Velveteen Rabbit | The Velveteen Rabbit (1922) | United Kingdom | 1998 (US) / 2015 (UK) | Margery Williams (d. 1944) | ||
| Nancy Drew | The Secret of the Old Clock (1930) | United States | 2026 | Later rewrite of the story from 1959 remains copyrighted until 2055. One Nancy Drew novel from 1961, as well as rewrites of two early stories of hers from that year, were not renewed.[13] | Mildred Benson (d. 2002) under pseudonym Carolyn Keene
Russell H. Tandy (d. 1963) for illustrations |
|
| The Little Engine That Could | The Little Engine That Could (1930) | United States | 2026 | Based on a already public domain folktale from the early 20th century, the more popular version from 1930 entered the public domain in 2026. | Arnold "Watty Piper" Munk (d. 1957) | |
| Lord George Hell | The Happy Hypocrite (1896) | United Kingdom | 2027 (UK) / 1897? (US) | Provided primarily as an example of a very old character still under copyright in home country. | Max Beerbohm (d. 1956) | |
| Gog | Gog (1931) | Italy | 2027 (Italy and US) | Provided primarily as an example of a character who will simultaneously become public domain in home country and US. | Giovanni Papini (d. 1956) | |
| Babar the Elephant | The Story of Babar (1931) | France | 2027 (US) / 2008 (France) | The first Babar book was published in France in 1931, and in the United States in 1933. | Jean de Brunhoff (d. 1937)
Be careful not to use illustrations by his son, Laurent de Brunhoff, who took over his father's series and died in 2024. |
R265890 for The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant |
| Bernard Marx | Brave New World (1932) | United Kingdom | 2028 (US) / 2034 (UK) | Aldous Huxley (d. 1963) | ||
| Doc Savage | Doc Savage Magazine #1 (March 1933) | United States | 2029 | While the magazine novels are still copyrighted, the first year of radio episodes are in public domain due to lack of copyright renewal.[14] | Henry W. Ralston (d. 1968)
John L. Nanovic (d. 2001) |
R254774 |
| Perry Mason, Della Street, and Paul Drake | The Case of the Velvet Claws (1933) | United States | 2029 | Erle Stanley Gardner (d. 1970) | R253554 | |
| Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler | Gone with the Wind (1936) | United States | 2032 |
The film from 1939 will be public domain in 2035 |
Margaret Mitchell (d. 1949) | R318689-318690 for the 1936 novel
R399224 for the 1939 film |
| Madeline | The Golden Basket (1936) | United States | 2032 | The titular book from 1939 is protected by copyright until 2035. | Ludwig Bemelmans (d. 1962) | R339007 for The Golden Basket
R397292 for the 1939 novel |
| Horatio Hornblower | The Happy Return (1937) | United Kingdom | 2033 (US) / 2037 (UK) | C. S. Forester (d. 1966) | ||
| The Thing (from another world) | Who Goes There? (1938) | United States | 2034 | First published in Astounding Science Fiction in the August 1938 edition | John W. Campbell (d. 1971) | R365826 for the August 1938 edition |
| Madam Mim | The Sword in the Stone (1938) | United Kingdom | 2035 (UK) / 2034 (US) | First published in the United States in 1939 | T. H. White (d. 1964) | R377500 |
| Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1939) | United States | 2035 | Often mistaken for being public domain. The 1964 television special is in the public domain due to an improper copyright notice. However, the special is restricted as a derivative work of the original character, song, and other copyrighted elements present. The 1948 cartoon is also public domain.
The 1949 song will enter the public domain as a composition in 2045, and its first sound recordings will enter in 2060. |
Robert L. May (d. 1976) | R404750 for the 1939 book
R639542 for the 1949 song |
| Horton the Elephant | Horton Hatches the Egg (1940) | United States | 2036 | An early prototype depicted as a female named Matilda The Elephant from a short story from Judge Magazine titled "Matilda, the Elephant with a Mother Complex" (1938) is already public domain due to a lack of a renewal. | "Dr. Seuss" (d. 1991) | R428772 |
| Stuart Little | Stuart Little (1945) | United States | 2041 | E. B. White (d. 1985)
Garth Williams (d. 1996) for illustrations |
R547636 | |
| Mike Hammer | I, the Jury (1947) | United States | 2043 | Mickey Spillane (d. 2006) | R608341 | |
| Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf | The Hobbit (1937) | United Kingdom | 2033 (US) / 2044 (UK) | Houghton Mifflin published the first American edition of The Hobbit in spring of 1938 | J. R. R. Tolkien (d. 1973) | Copyright was lost in USA, and then restored under Uruguay Round Agreements Act |
| Zatoichi | Zatoichi Monogatari (1948) | Japan | 2044 (US) / 2039 (Japan) | Kan Shimozawa (d. 1968) | ||
| Mr. Chips | Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1934) | United States | 2030 (US) / 2025 (UK) | James Hilton (d. 1954) | ||
| Winston Smith and Big Brother | Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949) | United Kingdom | 2045 (US) / 2021 (UK) | George Orwell (d. 1950) | R641953 | |
| Noddy | Noddy Goes to Toyland (1949) | United Kingdom | 2045 (US) / 2039 (UK) | Enid Blyton (d. 1968) | ||
| Aslan | The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) | United Kingdom | 2046 (US) / 2034 (UK) | C. S. Lewis (d. 1963) | Copyright restored under the URAA | |
| Meursault | The Stranger (1942) | France | 2038 (US) / 2031 (France) | Albert Camus (d. 1960) | ||
| The Little Prince | The Little Prince (1943) | France | 2039 (US) / 2045 (France) | Since the author died in a conflict, the copyright of the book was extended in France with 30 years, see Mort pour la France. | Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (d. 1944) | |
| Hercule Poirot | The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920) | United Kingdom | 2047 (UK) / 1976 (US) | Agatha Christie (d. 1976) | ||
| Miss Marple | The Royal Magazine (1927) | United Kingdom | 2047 (UK) / 2023 (US) | First novel was The Murder at the Vicarage (1930) | Agatha Christie (d. 1976) | R209544 for 1930 book |
| Curious George | Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys (1939) | France | 2035 (US) / 2048 (France) | Was originally named Fifi, the titular book from 1941 is protected by copyright until 2037. | H.A. Rey (d. 1977) | |
| Guy Montag | Fahrenheit 451 (1953) | United States | 2049 | Ray Bradbury (d. 2012) | RE0000105689 | |
| Rhoda Penmark | The Bad Seed (1954) | United States | 2050 | William March (d. 1954) | RE0000126023 | |
| Robert Neville | I Am Legend (1954) | United States | 2050 | Richard Matheson (d. 2013) | RE0000141686 | |
| Harold | Harold and the Purple Crayon (1955) | United States | 2051 | Crockett Johnson (d. 1975) | RE0000171081 | |
| James Bond | Casino Royale (1953) | United Kingdom | 2049 (US) / 2035 (UK) | Simultaneously published in the US and UK. Later film rights under separate copyrights. | Ian Fleming (d. 1964) | RE0000108490 for the 1953 book |
| The Grinch | How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1957) | United States | 2053 | The animated TV special by Chuck Jones, where the Grinch was first portrayed as green as opposed to white, is protected until 2062. The Grinch himself in a prototypical form debuted earlier in a Redbook poem titled "The Hoobub and the Grinch." A early prototype of a character referred to as "The Beagle-Beaked-Bald-Headed Grinch" is already public domain as Scrambled Eggs Super! hasn't renewed it's copyright in the 80s. | "Dr. Seuss" (d. 1991) | RE0000238319 for the 1957 book
RE0000621446 for the 1966 TV special |
| The Cat in the Hat | The Cat in the Hat (1957) | United States | 2053 | "Dr. Seuss" (d. 1991) | RE0000240391 | |
| Cruella de Vil and other characters. | The Hundred and One Dalmatians (1956) | United Kingdom | 2053 (US) / 2061 (UK) | Viking Press published the first American edition of the book in 1957. Cruella is often mistaken as an original Disney creation. | Dodie Smith (d. 1990) | |
| Basil of Baker Street | Basil of Baker Street (1958) | United States | 2054 | Parody of Sherlock Holmes. Sometimes mistaken for a Disney original creation. | Eve Titus (d. 2002) | RE0000294923 |
| Norman Bates | Psycho (1959) | United States | 2055 | The Hitchcock film is separately copyrighted until 2056 | Robert Bloch (d. 1994) | RE0000319609 for the book
RE0000400889 for the 1960 film |
| Sam-I-Am and Guy-I-Am (Joey) | Green Eggs and Ham (1960) | United States | 2056 | "Dr. Seuss" (d. 1991) | RE0000376436 | |
| Lyle the Crocodile | The House on East 88th Street (1962) | United States | 2058 | Bernard Waber (d. 2013) | RE0000482440 | |
| Encyclopedia Brown | Encyclopedia Brown: Boy Detective (1963) | United States | 2059 | Donald J. Sobol (d. 2012) | RE0000517683 | |
| The Borrowers | The Borrowers (1952) | United Kingdom | 2048 (US) / 2063 (UK) | Mary Norton (d. 1992) | ||
| Ralph, Jack Merridew | Lord of the Flies (1954) | United Kingdom | 2050 (US) / 2064 (UK) | William Golding (d. 1993) | ||
| The Saint (Simon Templar) | Meet the Tiger (1928) | United Kingdom | 2024 (US) / 2064 (UK) | Leslie Charteris (d. 1993) | ||
| Mary Poppins | Mary Poppins (1934) | New Zealand; United Kingdom/United States | for the 1926 iteration, 2022 (US), 2047 (NZ). For the novel, 2030 (US) / 2067 (UK) | The first Poppins book was published simultaneously in the United States
The Mary Poppins character, in a much less defined way, first appeared in a 1926 short story Mary Poppins And the Match-Man that was published in New Zealand's The Sun. This early 1926 iteration is already public domain in the United States as of 2022. |
P. L. Travers (d. 1996) | R292340 for the first book |
| Alex | A Clockwork Orange (1962) | United Kingdom | 2058 (US) / 2064 (UK) | The character lacked surname in debut novel, but legally surnames cannot be copyrighted, so he can have DeLarge surname from Kubrick's film when character enter public domain. | Anthony Burgess (d. 1993) | |
| Dr. Zaius, Cornelius | Planet of the Apes (1963) | France | 2059 (US) / 2065 (France) | Pierre Boulle (d. 1994) | ||
| Edward the Blue Engine, Henry the Green Engine, Gordon the Big Engine, The Fat Controller, Troublesome Trucks | The Three Railway Engines (1945) | United Kingdom | 2068 (UK) / 2041 (US) | The stories were originally illustrated by William Middleton. Re-illustrated by Reginald Dalby in 1949. The Fat Controller was originally "The Fat Director" until 1948; additionally, his proper name, Sir Topham Hatt, did not first appear until 1951, when Henry got his own book (which introduced both his modern shape and the numbers for engines other than Thomas). | Wilbert Awdry (d. 1997) | |
| Thomas the Tank Engine and James the Red Engine | Thomas the Tank Engine (1946) | United Kingdom | 2042 (US) / 2068 (UK) | James' red livery will enter public domain in the US in 2044, through his self-named book. Additional well-known characters in the franchise will enter the U.S. public domain later on, including Annie and Clarabel (Thomas' coaches) and Bertie the Bus in 2045, Percy the Small Engine in 2046, Toby the Tram Engine in 2048, etc. | Wilbert Awdry (d. 1997) |
Live Action Origin
| Character | First appearance | Source country | Expiration | Notes | Original author/copyright owner | Renewal (if applicable) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keystone Cops | Hoffmeyer's Legacy (1912) | United States | 1968 | Hank Mann (d. 1971) Mack Sennet (d. 1960) | ||
| The Tramp | Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914) | United States | 1971 | Charlie Chaplin (d. 1977) | ||
| Count Orlok | Nosferatu (1922) | Germany | 2020 | F. W. Murnau (d. 1931) Henrik Galeen (d. 1949) | ||
| Kool-Aid Man | Pitcher Man commercial (1954) | United States | 1954 | Was originally called Pitcher Man and lacked any arms and legs. Later iterations in printed advertisements featured arms and legs which lacked a copyright notice. The more iconic 1974 iteration from a possibly now lost commercial could still be copyrighted unless it resurfaces and there is no notice for that either or the 1974 date is a false date and the Kool-Aid Man's first refined debut is either in 1975 or 1976. | Marvin Potts (not much is known about him as of now) | Commercial released without copyright notice. |
| Ronald McDonald | Washington D.C. McDonald's commercial (1963) | United States | 1963 | The public domain version of Ronald McDonald, which has scraggly hair, a cup as a nose, and a meal over his head, was an early prototype of the mascot. The modern version, which is more refined, will remain copyrighted until 2064. | Willard Scott (d. 2021) | Commercial released without copyright notice. |
| Mr. Potter | It's a Wonderful Life (1946) | United States | 1974 | While based on the 1943 short story "The Greatest Gift" by Philip Van Doren Stern, which does not enter the public domain until 2039, the 1946 film adaptation fell into the public domain in 1974. Mr. Potter was one of a handful of characters created exclusively for the film, thus making him public domain. | Frank Capra (d.1991) | |
| Duracell Bunny | Duracell commercial (1973) | United States | 1973 | Be cautious of trademarks. | Unknown | The company didn't put notices on commercails in 1970s. |
| Fred the Baker | Fred the Baker commercial (1981) | United States | 1981 | First commercial had no notice and wasn't registered after 5 years before March 1st 1989. | Michael Vale (d. 2005) | Commercial released without copyright notice and not registered within a time frame. |
| Wilkins and Wontkins | "Cannon" Wilkins Coffee commercial (1957) | United States | 1984 | Very few commercials featuring them had copyright notices, however, "Cannon" was one of the few to have a notice. Although, no renewal has been found for the first commercial with a notice. Wilkins is also often mistaken as a prototype for the earlier character Kermit the Frog. The patent designs on both characters also expired. | Jim Henson (d. 1990) | Copyright on first commercial not renewed.[15] |
| Rowlf the Dog and Baskerville | Purina dog food commercials (1962) | Created in the United States First shown in Canada | 1962 | First commercial had no notice and despite being aired in Canada, Rowlf and Baskerville were created in the United States by a US citizen, therefore restoration didn't count for the URAA.[16] | Jim Henson (d. 1990) | |
| Lee Baldwin, Jessie Brewer,Phil Brewer,Steve Hardy | Episode 1 (General Hospital; 1963) | United States | 1991? | Frank and Doris Hursley (d. 1989 and 1984) | no renewals are found for the series [17] | |
| Empire Man | Empire Today commercial (1977) | United States | 1977 | Be cautious of trademarks. | Lynn Hauldren (d. 2011) | 70s and 80s commercials featured him lacked a notice and never registered. |
| Little Mikey | Life cereal commercial (1972) | United States | 1972 | Robert Gage (unknown) | First commercial to feature him lacked a notice. | |
| Clyde Frog | About Safety (1972) | United States | 1972 | Unknown | Episodes of the show failed to include a copyright notice. | |
| Lieutenant Columbo | "Enough Rope" The Chevy Mystery Show (1960) | United States | 1988 | The episode is based on the short story "Dear Corpus Delicti" (initially known as "May I Come In?"), which also was not renewed.[18] However, Columbo does not appear in the story and instead was a character named Fischer. Peter Falk would portray the character in later appearances. | Richard Levinson (d.1987) William Link (d. 2020) | Although the episode "Enough Rope" has a copyright notice at the end, no copyright renewal can be found.[19] |
| The Marx Brothers | Humor Risk (1921) | United States | 1996 | |||
| Laurel and Hardy | The Second Hundred Years (1927) | United States | 2023 | Hal Roach (d. 1992) | ||
| Leo the Lion | He Who Gets Slapped (1924) | United States | 2020 | Howard Dietz (d. 1983) | ||
| The Three Stooges | Soup to Nuts (1930) | United States | 2026 | Moses Horwitz' character, Moe, was initially named "Harry Howard". Curly as a character will be protected until 2029 when "Nertsery Rhymes" (1933) becomes public domain. And Curly Joe will follow much later. However likeness/publicity rights do exist so be careful even when the earliest shorts and fictionalized portrayals enter the public domain. | Benjamin Stoloff (d. 1960) Rube Goldberg (d. 1970) | |
| Ro-Man | Robot Monster (1953) | United States | 1981 or 2049? | The copyright to the film was renewed, but the company that claimed the copyright illegally renewed copyright for several films.[20] | Phil Tucker (d. 1985) Wyott Ordung (d. 2005) | RE0000107158 |
| Sooty | Episode 1 (Sooty, 1955) | United Kingdom | 1955 (UK), 1996? (the series never aired nor was copyrighted in the US) | Many television broadcasts made before July 1st 1957 in the UK are not eligible for copyright, see Copyright law of the United Kingdom. The copyright in the US is unknown, but possibly was never restored under the URAA due to already being public domain in its home country at the time.[21] A similar case is also for Andy Pandy, Bill and Ben and Muffin the Mule. | Harry Corbett (d. 1989) | |
| Adenoid Hynkel | The Great Dictator (1940) | United States | 2036 | Charlie Chaplin (d. 1977) | R433974 | |
| Charles Foster Kane | Citizen Kane (1941) | United States | 2037 | Orson Welles (d. 1985) Herman J. Mankiewicz (d. 1953) | R435615 | |
| Irena Dubrovna | Cat People (1942) | United States | 2038 | Jacques Tourneur (d. 1977) | R480071 | |
| Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent and Beany Boy | Time for Beany (1949) | United States | 2045 | Notable for having a fandom that included Albert Einstein and Harpo Marx. | Bob Clampett (d. 1984) | RE0000008177 |
| Gill-man | Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) | United States | 2050 | Milicent Patrick (d. 1998) Harry Essex (d. 1997) Arthur A. Ross (d. 2008) Maurice Zimm (d. 2005) | RE0000131137 | |
| Godzilla | Godzilla (1954) | Japan | 2032 (Japan) / 2050 (US) | Tomoyuki Tanaka (d. 1997) Eiji Tsuburaya (d. 1970) Ishirō Honda (d. 1993) Shigeru Kayama (d. 1975) | ||
| Ralph and Alice Kramden | "TV or Not TV" (The Honeymooners, 1955) | United States | 2051 | Inspiration for Fred and Wilma Flintstone. | Jackie Gleason (d. 1987) | RE0000160100 |
| "Beaver" and the Cleaver family | "It's a Small World" (Leave it to Beaver, 1957) | United States | 2053 | Joe Connelly (d. 2003) Bob Mosher (d. 1972) | RE0000247042 | |
| The Blob | The Blob (1958) | United States | 2054 | Irvin Yeaworth (d. 2004) Russell Doughten (d. 2013) | RE0000329477 | |
| Ben, Adam, Eric "Hoss", and Joseph "Little Joe" Cartwright | "A Rose for Lotta" (Bonanza; 1959) | United States | 2055 | David Dortort (d. 2013) Edward Ludwig (d. 1982) | RE0000359894 |
Animation Origin
| Character | First appearance | Source country | Expiration | Notes | Original author/copyright owner | Renewal (if applicable) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pete | Alice Solves the Puzzle (1925) | United States | 1954 | Originally depicted as a bear, the more well-known feline incarnation became public domain in 2024. His modern design, first seen in 1936's Moving Day, will become public domain in 2032. | Walt Disney (d. 1966) Ub Iwerks (d. 1971) | Short was not renewed |
| Bosko | Bosko, the Talk-Ink Kid (1929), Sinkin' in the Bathtub (1930) | United States | 1958 | Bosko was the first Looney Tunes character. Bosko first appeared in Bosko, the Talk-Ink Kid, a test film which wasn't released in theaters. He first formally appeared, along with his girlfriend Honey, in Sinkin' in the Bathtub.
In 1933, Harman and Ising left Warner Bros., taking the rights to the Bosko characters with them, making more cartoons through MGM. However, Warner Bros. retained the rights to the cartoons. None of the copyrights to any of Bosko's works made through the 1930's for Warner Bros. were renewed, except his last cartoons for them (from Ride Him, Bosko! onward). His later MGM cartoons will enter the public domain between 2030 and 2034. The episodes of the TV series Tiny Toon Adventures that Bosko features in will remain copyrighted until 95 years after their respective original air dates, therefore until 2086 to 2088. Since Bosko's character design was very heavily based on blackface minstrel shows, it is advised to practice caution if you intend to revive the character. |
Hugh Harman (d. 1982)
Rudolf Ising (d. 1992) |
|
| Trix Rabbit | Trix Commercial (1959) | United States | 1959 | First commercial to feature him lacked a notice, and the original cereal boxes that also featured him also were not renewed. | Joe Harris (d. 2017) | No copyright notice |
| Sam the Snowman, Hermey the Elf, Yukon Cornelius, Bumble, and the Misfit Toys | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) | United States | 1964 | Released with a misspelled copyright notice. Rudolph as a character will not enter the public domain until 2035, and certain other elements such as music that predate the film will also remain copyrighted until later. | Romeo Muller (d. 1992) Larry Roemer (d. 1995) | |
| Tweety | A Tale of Two Kitties (1942) | United States | 1970 | Known as "Orson" in his first appearance, and first named Tweety in his second appearance, Birdy and the Beast.
Later character design first used in Tweetie Pie will enter the public domain in 2043. |
Bob Clampett (d. 1984) | No renewal for the first short. |
| Dan Backslide, the Dover Boys, and Dora Standpipe | The Dover Boys at Pimento University (1942) | United States | 1970 | Parody of the Rover Boys books. | Chuck Jones (d. 2002) | |
| Casper the Friendly Ghost | The Friendly Ghost (1945) | United States | 1973 | The character was originally created for a children's book that went unpublished. The short film he was introduced in did not have its copyright renewed. Some early comics including debuts of characters such as Wendy and Spooky the Tuff Little Ghost were not renewed (see Harvey v. Columbia). Later appearances and supporting characters that were properly renewed are still copyrighted. | Seymour Reit (d. 2001)
Joe Oriolo (d. 1985) |
|
| Koko the Clown | Experiment No. 1 (1918) | United States | 1994 | Late 1910s to the entire decade of the 1920s is public domain. His appearances in the Betty Boop cartoons will become public domain between 2027 and 2030. | Max Fleischer (d. 1972)
Dave Fleischer (d. 1979) |
|
| Felix the Cat | Feline Follies (1919) | United States | 1995 | Not only are all the theatrical short films with Felix in public domain, due either to expired copyright or lack of copyright renewal, six episodes of the 1958 TV series also were never renewed.[22] In a similar way to Popeye and spinach, this makes the Magic Bag element as well as later characters such as Poindexter (see entry below) and The Professor public domain. The episodes that are public domain are Episodes 1, 5, 26, 50, 51, and 52. The Master Cylinder is still copyrighted as his episode aka "Chapter" was renewed properly. | Pat Sullivan (d. 1933) Otto Messmer (d. 1983) | |
| Poindexter (Felix the Cat) | "The Flying Saucer" (1959 episode) | United States | 1986 | One of the more well-known side characters of the Felix the Cat franchise. The episode in which Poindexter debuted did not renew its copyright and is one of the six episodes from the series that have fallen into the public domain. | Joe Oriolo (d. 1985) | Debut episode didn't have its copyright renewed. |
| Arnold Shortman | Arnold Escapes from Church (1988 claymation short) | United States | 1988 | Originally portrayed in stop-motion, the first claymation short to feature Arnold lacked a copyright notice and was not registered within 5 years prior to March 1, 1989. The short also features prototype designs for Helga G. Pataki and Harold Berman. The Nickelodeon television series Hey Arnold!, and hence, the better-known finalized version of the character and his full cast, will remain copyrighted until 2092. | Craig Bartlett (still living) | |
| Red and yellow spokescandies | M&M Commercial (1960s) | United States | 1960s | First commercial to feature them lacked a notice. | Unknown | No copyright notice. |
| Herman and Katnip | The Henpecked Rooster (1944) (Herman), Naughty But Mice (1947) (Katnip, prototype) | United States | 1971 (Herman), 1974 (Katnip, Prototype) |
One of the inspirations of The Itchy & Scratchy Show from The Simpsons, Katnip's finalized debut in Mice Meeting You (1950), which was created by Dave Tendlar, was renewed.[23] However he existed in prototype form for 3 shorts in Naughty But Mice (1947), Hep Cat Symphony (1949) and Saved by the Bell (1950), where he closely resembles his final red-orange design, albeit black with no body markings, he also wasn't given his name, although names cannot be copyrighted. All of the pre-October 1950 Noveltoons containing Herman and Katnip are in the public domain because of lack of renewal. |
Seymour Kneitel (d. 1964)
Dave Tendlar (d. 1993) |
No renewal
RE0000012721 for Mice Meeting You (1950) |
| Colonel Montgomery J. Klaxon and Calvin T. Burnside | "The Television Job" (Calvin and the Colonel; 1961) | United States | 1990 | An animated remake of Amos 'n' Andy | None | |
| Mr. Clean | Mr. Clean Commercial (1958) | United States | 1958 | First commercial to feature Mr. Clean lacked a notice. | Linwood Burton (unknown) Mathusan Chandramohan (unknown) | No copyright notice |
| Crusader Rabbit, Dudley Do-Right, Snidely Whiplash, and Nell Fenwick | The Comic Strips of Television (1948) | United States | 1977 | The rabbit is notable for being the first cartoon character specifically created for television. As for the Dudley Do-Right cast, though their first public appearances were on The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, the characters actually predated the series by over 10 years due to The Comic Strips of Television including an early incarnation of their segment. Snidley and Nell were originally named Sidney the Snake and Bess Blushmore, respectively. | Alex Anderson (d. 2010) Jay Ward (d. 1989) | No renewal for the short.[24] |
| Charlie the Tuna | StarKist tuna commercial (1961) | United States | 1989 | All pre-1964 commercials was not renewed.[25] | Tom Rogers (d. 2005) | No renewal |
| Colonel Bleep | Colonel Bleep series (1957) | United States | 1985 | All episodes were not renewed. | Robert D. Buchanan (still living) Jack Schleh (d. 1993) | |
| Paddy the Pelican | Piggy Bank Robbery (1950) | United States | 1978 | All episodes were not renewed.[26] | Sam Singer (d. 2001) | |
| Front Row Joe | Cinemark Front Row Joe Policy Trailer (1988) | United States | 1988 | The short had no notice and was not registered within 5 years prior to March 1, 1989. | Unknown | |
| Oswald the Lucky Rabbit | Trolley Troubles (1927) | United States | 1955 | His later redesign, by Manuel Moreno, will remain copyrighted until 2031.
Original copyright for Trolley Troubles ended in 1955 when the copyright was not renewed. |
Walt Disney (d. 1966) Ub Iwerks (d. 1971) | |
| Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse | Steamboat Willie (1928) | United States | 2024 | Only their "classic" designs are in the public domain as of 2026. Their modern designs (created by Fred Moore) will enter the public domain in 2034.[c] The element of Minnie wearing a full dress will enter in 2040. Contemporary versions of their designs will remain copyrighted.
For a timeline of Mickey and Minnie's designs listed by year, see here and here. Note however that the lists are only comprised of selected animation and comic strip art, not posters or title cards or anything else where a design would have been shown first.[d] |
Walt Disney (d. 1966) Ub Iwerks (d. 1971) |
|
| Betty Boop | Dizzy Dishes (1930) | United States | 2026 | Originally an anthropomorphic poodle and not a human. Her individual cartoons will enter the public domain between 2026 and 2035, with the exceptions of some that were not renewed. Cartoons that introduced her grandfather Grampy were also not been renewed. | Max Fleischer (d. 1972)
Grim Natwick (d. 1990) |
|
| Pluto | The Chain Gang (1930) | United States | 2026 |
First named as Rover (owned by Minnie Mouse) in The Picnic (1930), the character was renamed Pluto and made Mickey Mouse's pet in The Moose Hunt (1931). Appeared as a villain working for Pete in The Chain Gang, though having come out the same year as The Picnic, being a friendly character remains a part of his public domain characterization. His first color incarnation will enter the public domain in 2031, the modern green coloration for his collar will enter in 2035, and his modern physical appearance will be fully public domain by 2044. Contemporary renderings of him will remain copyrighted. |
Walt Disney (d. 1966)
Norm Ferguson (d. 1957) |
R204524 for The Chain Gang
R204528 for The Picnic R225455 for The Moose Hunt |
| Flip the Frog | Fiddlesticks (1930) | United States | 2026 | Made by Mickey's co-creator Ub Iwerks after he left Disney and was often mistaken to be public domain due to being a orphan work, some later cartoons weren't renewed. The first cartoon that was renewed had its copyright expired in 2026. Notable for being the first cartoon star at MGM. | Ub Iwerks (d. 1971) | R233745 |
| Clutch Cargo | The Friendly Head Hunters (1959) | United States | 1959? 2055? | A similar (but less confusing) case to Kermit and debatable due to registrations of a "visual material" of a character. While two renewals for Clutch Cargo do exist, it's only for a concept drawing of the character, as well as the soundtrack. The episodes themselves were have invalid notices lacking the year in the title card. But it's unknown if the registration for the drawing (which is possibly for a sketch of the character's face used in the title screen) counts as the copyright of the character or if the episodes (which lack renewals) count, as it can be sometimes debated a character's copyright only is effective of a larger work. Some of the non-renewed episodes have been sold on low-budget DVDs.[27] | Clark Haas (d. 1978) | RE0000308116 |
| The Noid | Domino's Pizza commercial (1986) | United States | 1986? 2082? | Debut commercial released without a copyright notice and was never registered. However, a copyright notice may have been printed on the film provided to broadcasters, see Commons:Hirtle chart related to untitled motion pictures under 60 seconds post-November 1981. A similar case is also for Doug Funnie[e] and Energizer Bunny as well as Doug's dog Porkchop and Heffer Wolfe who debuted 1989, but with unclear release month. | Will Vinton (d. 2018) | |
| Ruffled Feather and Running Board | Go Go Gophers (1962) | United States | 1990? 2058? | The series was copyrighted in 1962-1963 but premiered in 1964. Due to works what published on 1964 no more required for copyright renewals, it is unclear does copyright of the episodes what registered before that year are required for renewal. | Buck Biggers (d. 2013) Joe Harris (d. 2017) | Renewal not found for any of the episodes. |
| Scrappy | Yelp Wanted (1931) | United States | 2027 | Dick Huemer (d. 1979) | R218201 | |
| Donald Duck | The Wise Little Hen (1934) | United States | 2030 |
A prototype of Donald Duck appeared in The Adventures of Mickey Mouse (1931) which will become public domain in 2027.[28] As various core traits of Donald were introduced in Orphan's Benefit which was released the same year as The Wise Little Hen, they will be included as part of the character's public domain entry. |
Walt Disney (d. 1966)
Dick Lundy (d. 1990) |
R27781 for The Wise Little Hen
R225437 for The Adventures of Mickey Mouse |
| Goofy | Orphan's Benefit (1934) | United States | 2028 (for Dippy Dawg) 2030 (for the Goofy iteration) |
First appeared as Dippy Dawg in Mickey's Revue (1932). |
Walt Disney (d. 1966)
Pinto Colvig (d. 1967) |
R281004 for Orphans' Benefit
R237770 for Mickey's Revue |
| Mortimer Mouse | Mickey's Rival (1936) | United States | 2032 | An early prototype named Mr. Slicker from Mickey Mouse comic strips is public domain since 2026. | Walt Disney (d. 1966)
Wilfred Jackson (d. 1988) |
R3519723 |
| Porky Pig | I Haven't Got a Hat (1935) | United States | 2031 | Some later shorts not renewed. | Friz Freleng (d. 1995) | R311533 |
| Daffy Duck | Porky's Duck Hunt (1937) | United States | 2033 | Some later shorts not renewed. | Tex Avery (d. 1980)
Bob Clampett (d. 1984) |
R363524 |
| Elmer Fudd | Little Red Walking Hood (1937) | United States | 2033 | Originally a hero, and without a name and looking more like the prototype Egghead who debuted earlier the same year. He would gain his familiar appearance in 1940's Elmer's Candid Camera. | Tex Avery (d. 1980) Chuck Jones (d. 2002) | R369889 for Little Red Walking Hood
R428511 for Elmer's Candid Camera |
| Doc, Grumpy, Happy, Sleepy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) | United States | 2033 | The concept of the Seven Dwarves in the context of the Snow White story is public domain, but the individual dwarf personalities and designs were a Disney invention. | Complex, many story writers and sequence directors of equal importance. | R354235 |
| Barney Bear | The Bear That Couldn't Sleep (1939) | United States | 2035 | Rudolf Ising (d. 1992) | R387489 | |
| Bugs Bunny | A Wild Hare (1940) | United States | 2036 | Appeared in three earlier prototype versions designed by Ben Hardaway, Cal Dalton, and Charles Thorson.
Several cartoons failed to have their copyrights renewed. |
Had several fathers: Tex Avery (d. 1980) Chuck Jones (d. 2002) Bob Givens (d. 2017) Robert McKimson (d. 1977) |
R434265 |
| Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse | Puss Gets the Boot (1940) | United States | 2036 | The cat was named Jasper and the mouse was unnamed at first, they would not be called Tom and Jerry until the second short The Midnight Snack (1941), but names are uncopyrightable. | William Hanna (d. 2001)
Joseph Barbera (d. 2006) |
R404444 for Puss Gets the Boot
R439708 for The Midnight Snack |
| Woody Woodpecker | Knock Knock (1940) | United States | 2036 | Copyright on his third cartoon, Pantry Panic, was not renewed. | Walter Lantz (d. 1994)
Ben Hardaway (d. 1957) |
R423773 |
| Daisy Duck | Mr. Duck Steps Out (1940) | United States | 2036 | A prototype version called Donna Duck appeared in 1937 in the film Don Donald. | Carl Barks (d. 2000) | R329715 for Don Donald
R411801 for Mr. Duck Steps Out |
| Mighty Mouse | Mouse of Tomorrow (1942) | United States | 2038 | Paul Terry (d. 1971)
Isadore Klein (d. 1986) |
R471862 | |
| Chip and Dale | Private Pluto (1943) | United States | 2039 | Bill Justice (d. 2011) | R480897 | |
| Pepé Le Pew | Odor-able Kitty (1945) | United States | 2041 | Chuck Jones (d. 2002) Michael Maltese (d. 1981) | R554618 | |
| Heckle and Jeckle | The Talking Magpies (1946) (prototypes), The Uninvited Pests (1946) | United States | 2042 | Often mistaken to be public domain, though this only applies to the prototype versions of the characters. | Paul Terry (d. 1971) |
R591492 for The Talking Magpies, R572112 for The Uninvited Pests |
| Droopy and Wolfie | Dumb-Hounded (1943) | United States | 2039 | An earlier incarnation of Wolfie as a caricature of Adolf Hitler was featured in Blitz Wolf a year prior. | Tex Avery (d. 1980) | R480799 |
| Spike the Bulldog | The Bodyguard (1944) | United States | 2040 | Prototypical incarnation as an unnamed bulldog debuted 2 years earlier. | William Hanna (d. 2001) Joseph Barbera (d. 2006) | R509318 |
| Sylvester the Cat | Life with Feathers (1945) | United States | 2041 | Friz Freleng (d. 1995) | R538956 | |
| Yosemite Sam | Hare Trigger (1945) | United States | 2041 | Friz Freleng (d. 1995) | R539829 | |
| Foghorn Leghorn | Walky Talky Hawky (1946) | United States | 2042 | His second cartoon, Crowing Pains (co-starring Sylvester), has been mistaken for being public domain. | Robert McKimson (d. 1977) | R558106 |
| Goofy Gophers | The Goofy Gophers (1947) | United States | 2042 (see notes) | Although the short premiered in 1947 its copyright was initially registered in 1946, thus governing its copyright status by that date. | Bob Clampett (d. 1984) | Under R566632 |
| Marvin the Martian | Haredevil Hare (1948) | United States | 2044 | The character was unnamed until 1979, but a name like his cannot be copyrighted anyway. | Chuck Jones (d. 2002) | R595468 |
| Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner | Fast and Furry-ous (1949) | United States | 2045 | Chuck Jones (d. 2002)
Michael Maltese (d. 1981) |
R627299 | |
| Mr. Magoo | The Ragtime Bear (1949) | United States | 2045 | Millard Kaufman (d. 2009)
John Hubley (d. 1977) |
R642777 | |
| Chilly Willy | Chilly Willy (1953) | United States | 2049 | Redesigned by Tex Avery in I'm Cold. | Paul J. Smith (d. 1980)
Tex Avery (d. 1980) |
RE0000126159 for Chilly Willy (1953)
RE0000164439 for I'm Cold (1954) |
| Taz | Devil May Hare (1954) | United States | 2050 | Robert McKimson (d. 1977)
Sid Marcus (d. 1985) |
RE0000081514 | |
| Tom Terrific | The Nasty Knight (1957) | United States | 2053 | Gene Deitch (d. 2020) | RE0000242961 | |
| Yogi Bear, Boo-Boo Bear, Ranger Smith and Huckleberry Hound | "Huckleberry Hound Meets Wee Willie / Cousin Tex / Yogi Bear's Big Break" (The Huckleberry Hound Show, 1958) | United States | 2054 | William Hanna (d. 2001) Joseph Barbera (d. 2006) | RE0000290460 and RE0000540024 | |
| Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Bullwinkle J. Moose, Boris Badenov, Natasha Fatale, Fearless Leader, Mr. Peabody & Sherman | "Jet Fuel Formula" (Rocky and His Friends; 1959) | United States | 2055 | Jay Ward (d. 1989) Alex Anderson (d. 2010) Bill Scott (d. 1985) | RE0000337837 | |
| Fred Flintstone, Wilma Flintstone, Barney Rubble, Betty Rubble, and Dino | "The Flintstone Flyer" (The Flintstones; 1960) | United States | 2056 | Pebbles Flintstone and Bamm-Bamm Rubble were first introduced in episodes from seasons two and three during 1963 and will enter the public domain in 2059. Hoppy, the pet of the Rubbles who debuted in 1964, will follow in 2060.
Some elements from the Flintstones like the Winston Cigarettes commercials are already in the public domain due to no copyright notice, while it also seems that the show's theme song "Meet The Flintstones" (composed and registered in 1960, not used in the show until the show's third season) is public domain as there's no renewal for the composition/sheet music of the song.[29] |
William Hanna (d. 2001)
Joseph Barbera (d. 2006) |
RE0000396998 for The Flintstone Flyer (1960)
RE0000555065 for The Blessed Event (1963) RE0000547359 for Little Bamm-Bamm (1963) |
| Top Cat and his gang | "The $1,000,000 Derby" (Top Cat series; 1961) | United States | 2057 | William Hanna (d. 2001)
Joseph Barbera (d. 2006) |
RE0000433214 | |
| Bolek and Lolek | "The Crossbow" (1962) | Poland | 2049 (Poland) / 2058 (United States) | Provided as an example of animated characters from a foreign country. | Władysław Nehrebecki (d. 1978) | |
| George, Jane, Judy, and Elroy Jetson; Rosie the Robot; Astro the dog | "Rosie the Robot" (The Jetsons; 1962) | United States | 2058 | Rosie's name was spelled Rosey in the original title card. | William Hanna (d. 2001)
Joseph Barbera (d. 2006) |
RE0000494137 |
Comic Origin
| Character | First appearance | Source country | Expiration | Notes | Original author/copyright owner | Renewal (if applicable) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jor-El, Lara | Superman comic strip (January 16, 1939) | United States | 1939? | While Superman is copyrighted, his Kryptonian parents Jor-L and Lora (later spelled Jor-El and Lara), as well as the planet Krypton and its inhabitants, are in public domain, since the comic strips with Superman published from 1939 to 1943 did not have their copyright notices properly placed (as revealed in the court case National v. Fawcett).[30] | Jerry Siegel (d. 1996)
Joe Shuster (d. 1992) |
|
| Captain Atom | Space Adventures #33 (1960) | United States | Later editions and usages from DC still subject to copyright | Joe Gill (d. 2006)
Steve Ditko (d. 2018) |
None[31][32] | |
| Peacemaker | Fightin' 5 #40 (1966) | United States | 1966? | Charlton Comics Group never filed a single copyright registration for any of their publications in 1966 or 1967. The book that Peacemaker debuted in did not have a valid copyright notice.[32][33] | Joe Gill (d. 2006)
Pat Boyette (d. 2000) |
|
| The Question | Blue Beetle (vol. 4) #1 (1967) | United States | 1967? | Charlton failed to put a proper copyright notice in the book.[32][33] | Steve Ditko (d. 2018) | |
| Blue Beetle | Mystery Men Comics #1 (1939) | United States | 1967 | Dan Garret (later spelled Dan Garrett) and Ted Kord, the first two characters to be called Blue Beetle, are in public domain.[31][32] Jaime Reyes is still copyrighted. The radio series based on the comic is also in public domain[34]. | Charles Wojtkoski (d. 1985) | No renewal |
| Captain Marvel (Fawcett Comics), Shazam, Doctor Sivana | Whiz Comics #2 (1940) | United States | 1968 | Several issues from Fawcett didn't have their copyrights renewed. Many other characters like Captain Marvel Jr., Mary Marvel, Captain Nazi and Mister Mind are in public domain as well.
Later depictions of the characters, as published by Fawcett and DC, have separate copyrights. |
Bill Parker (d. 1963)
C. C. Beck (d. 1989) |
None[31] |
| Plastic Man | Police Comics #1 (1941) | United States | 1969 | Jack Cole (d. 1958) | None[31] | |
| Blackhawk | Military Comics #1 (1941) | United States | 1969 | Chuck Cuidera (d. 2001)
Bob Powell (d. 1967) Will Eisner (d. 2005) |
None[31] | |
| Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper | Pep Comics #22 (1941) | United States | 1969 | Issues #1-71 of Pep Comics didn't have their copyrights renewed meaning Archie and other characters depicted in the comics are in public domain (including Veronica Lodge and Hiram Lodge from later issues). Issues #1-9 of Jackpot Comics didn't have their copyrights renewed either meaning that Reggie Mantle, Mr. Weatherbee and the town of Riverdale are in public domain as well.[35] Archie was inspired by Andy Hardy, who first appeared in the play Skidding (1928), a work that is also now in public domain. | John L. Goldwater (d. 1999)
Bob Montana (d. 1975) Vic Bloom (d. 1983) |
|
| Pogo | Animal Comics #1 (1941) | United States | 1969 | Issues #1-30 of Animal Comics didn't have their copyrights renewed[36] meaning Pogo and related characters introduced in those issues are in public domain. Supporting characters introduced in the Pogo newspaper comic strip and the solo comic book may still be copyrighted unless there is no renewal for them as well. | Walt Kelly (d. 1973) | |
| Gnorm Gnat | Gnorm Gnat (1973) | United States | 1973 | Notable among comics and Garfield fans for being a failure that led to the massive success of the latter franchise. The original Gnorm Gnat strips were published in the Pendleton Times from 1973 to 1975. Neither the strips nor the newspaper in which they were published included any copyright notices. | Jim Davis (currently living) | |
| Garfield and Jon Arbuckle | Jon (1976) | United States | 1976 | The original Jon and Garfield strips were published in the Pendleton Times from 1976 to 1978. Neither the strips nor the newspaper in which they were published included any copyright notices. The Garfield comic strip began including copyright notices only once picked up for syndication in 1978.
The appearance of Garfield in Jon and in the 1977–78 strips differs from his appearance in more recent strips. Odie is known as Spot and Pookie is known as Huggy. As the rights to the later series are managed by a corporate entity (PAWS Inc.), the new material from that will not enter the public domain 70 years after Davis dies, but starting in 2074. |
Jim Davis (currently living) | |
| Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse | The Dingbat Family (1910) | United States | 1966 | Krazy in particular is notable as an early example of a genderfluid cartoon character. | George Herriman (d. 1944) | |
| Harold Hamgravy and Olive Oyl | Thimble Theatre (1919) | United States | 1993 | Original strip protagonists and love interests, following the introduction and subsequent popularity of Popeye, Harold was abandoned; and Olive was relegated to Popeye's love interest instead. | E.C. Segar (d. 1938) | |
| Mutt and Jeff | Mutt and Jeff (1907) | United States | 1963 (US) | Bud Fisher (d. 1954) | ||
| Rupert Bear | The Little Lost Bear (1920) | United Kingdom | 2019 (UK) / 1994 (US) | Later characters such as Tiger Lily and possibly Ottoline Otter are still copyrighted in the US until those expire. | Mary Tourtel (d. 1948) | |
| Little Orphan Annie and Daddy Warbucks | Little Orphan Annie (1924) | United States | 2020 | The character's name was taken from the 1885 poem Little Orphant Annie. | Harold Gray (d. 1968) | |
| Buck Rogers | Buck Rogers (1929) | United States | 1957 | Often mistaken to have been under copyright, Buck Rogers is based on Anthony Rogers from Armageddon 2419 A.D. (1928), a work that was not renewed. The comic strip according to Jennifer Jenkins of Duke University was also never renewed, despite many websites claiming the copyright on the strip expiring in 2025.[37] | Philip Francis Nowlan (d. 1940) | |
| Popeye | Thimble Theatre (1929) | United States | 2025 | Although Popeye first used spinach to gain powers in 1931, the copyright on the comic that introduced this character trait was not renewed, so the trait is included as part of Popeye's public domain entry.[38][39][40][37]
Not only that, almost the entire run of Thimble Theatre under Segar from 1930 until his death is in the public domain due to a lack of renewal on the strips comprising it, making Popeye's 2025 entry a lot bigger than excepted. This is due to King Features only renewing the specific strip Popeye appeared in as "Art" as well as one strip from 1930 (January 11th). As a result, every character introduced by Segar after Popeye entered the public domain due to lack of renewals on their debut strips, including Bluto, Wimpy (see those two examples below as they are the more well-known side characters of the main cast), The Sea Hag, Alice the Goon, Swee'Pea, Eugene the Jeep, Poopdeck Pappy, Toar, Rough House, and King Blozo. Characters who debuted in Fleischer's animated shorts and in strips by other writers/artists after Segar's death, such as Popeye's nephews and his mother Irene, had their first appearances properly renewed and therefore will remain copyrighted until those expire. |
E. C. Segar (d. 1938) | |
| J. Wellington Wimpy | Thimble Theatre/Popeye (May 2nd or 3rd, 1931) | United States | 1960 | No renewal has been found for Wimpy's debut [41][42] and other Thimble Theatre comics between 1930-1938. He wasn't called Wimpy until a later comic, taking place after the boxing match, which also hasn't been renewed. | E. C. Segar (d. 1938) | |
| Bluto | Thimble Theatre/Popeye (September 12th, 1932) | United States | 1961 | No renewal has been found for Bluto's debut comic.[43][44] Brutus, an alternate version of Bluto himself born out of copyright confusion and sometimes portrayed as his brother, is also in the public domain as "Junior" (who debuted in the short "Barbecue for Two", the pilot for the 1960s Popeye TV series.) Didn't have its copyright renewed either. Bluto was originally a one-off villain before the animated shorts by Fleischer Studios brought him in as the main antagonist, he also originally wasn't a romantic rival to Popeye for Olive's feelings until the shorts. | E. C. Segar (d. 1938) | |
| Clarabelle Cow | Mickey Mouse comic strip (1930) | United States | 1957 | The Mickey Mouse comic strips beyond the first week (Jan. 13–18, 1930) did not have their copyrights renewed. Disney did not begin properly renewing its comics until 1962–63 with the 1935 strips, according to Sterling Dudley of Duke University.[45][46] Clarabelle's more refined anthropomorphic debut in the April 2nd strip predates her animated debut in The Shindig by a couple months. Originally appeared as a prototypical unnamed cow in early shorts. | Walt Disney (d. 1966) | |
| Dick Tracy | Dick Tracy (1931) | United States | 1960 | Distributed by Tribune. No renewal was found for the first strip nor the original character art registration.[47][48] No renewal was found for the radio series based on the comic, either.[49] | Chester Gould (d. 1985) | |
| Nancy Ritz | Fritzi Ritz (January 2, 1933) | United States | 1962 | Distributed by United Feature Syndicate. No copyright renewal found for the Jan 2nd 1933 strip of Fritzi Ritz.[50] | Ernie Bushmiller (d. 1982) | |
| Agent X-9 | Secret Agent X-9 (1934) | United States | 1963 | Distributed by King Features Syndicate. No renewals are found for the comics from 1934 when searching under Agent X-9 or the distribution books.[51] | Dashiell Hammett (d. 1961)
Alex Raymond (d. 1956) |
|
| Li'l Abner | Li'l Abner (1934) | United States | 1962 | Originally distributed by United Feature Syndicate. The copyright was not renewed for the titular strips from 1934.[52][53] The copyright was not renewed for the radio series based on the comic, either[54]. | Al Capp (d. 1979) | |
| The shmoo | Lil' Abner (August 31, 1948) | United States | 1976? | No renewal was found for the shmoo's debut.[55][56] The Hanna-Barbera iteration is still under copyright. | Al Capp (d. 1979) | |
| Snuffy Smith | Barney Google (November 17, 1934) | United States | 1963 | Distributed by King Features Syndicate. No renewals found for the comics from 1934.[57] | Billy DeBeck (d. 1942)
Fred Lasswell (d. 2001) |
|
| Terry Lee, Pat Ryan, The Dragon Lady | Terry and the Pirates (1934) | United States | 1962 | Distributed by Tribune. The first year of comic strips did not have their copyrights renewed.[58][59] The scripts for the radio series did not have their copyrights renewed, either.[60] | Milton Caniff (d. 1988) | No renewal found for the relevant strips |
| Flash Gordon, Dale Arden, Hans Zarkov, Ming the Merciless | Flash Gordon (1934) | United States | 1960-1961? | Distributed by King Features Syndicate. No renewal was found for the first strips other than a children's book published the same year.[61][62][63][64] No renewal was found for the radio series based on the comic strip either.[65] | Alex Raymond (d. 1956) | |
| Mandrake the Magician and Lothar | Mandrake the Magician (1934) | United States | 1962? | Distributed by King Features Syndicate. No renewals found for the comics from June 1934 when searching under Mandrake or the distribution books or under the art registration from April 7, 1934.[66][67] No renewals found for the radio series based on the comic, either.[68] Be cautious to use Lothar, as his original design is considered offensive due to African-American stereotypes. | Lee Falk (d. 1999) | |
| Phantom, Diana Palmer, Guran | The Phantom (1936) | United States | 1964? | Distributed by King Features Syndicate, who would send out their comics to publishing partners in distribution books called King Features (Illustrated) Weekly (began around May 4, 1933) compiling their comics,[69][70][71][72] sometimes they would register copyrights for their comics by these books rather than the names of the individual comics.[73] (Update: United Features didn't start their distrbution books until 1935/1940. Dennis the Menace (US), Marmaduke (pre-1964 run) and Family Circus (whose syndicate (Des Moines Register and Tribune Syndicate) has a renewal list on OnlineBooks but only has for contributions and Family Circus is not found when searching the records.) never had any distribution books, Dick Tracy's didn't start until 1946.)
No copyright renewal has been found for the first strips of The Phantom by searching by the name of the distribution books or by the name of the strip itself.[74] However, some later strips are still copyrighted. The 1939 strip in which the Phantom first appeared in color in his purple suit is also in the public domain due to not being renewed. |
Lee Falk (d. 1999) | |
| The Spirit | "The Origin of The Spirit" (June 2, 1940) | United States | 1940 | Originally appeared in a newspaper supplement popularly referred to as "The Spirit Section". No copyright notice was included in first comic.[75] | Will Eisner (d. 2005) | |
| Beetle Bailey | Beetle Bailey (1950) | United States | 1977 | Distributed by King Features Syndicate. No copyright renewal was found for the first strip from 1950 under "Beetle Bailey" or King Feature's distribution books.[76] Originally a college student, the character also first went into the military in 1951, which that comic also hasn't renewed. | Mort Walker (d. 2018) | No copyright renewal found for the relevant strips |
| B.C. | B.C. (comic strip) (1958) | United States | 1986 | Johnny Hart (d. 2007) | no copyright renewals are found for original strips. [77] | |
| Dennis the Menace (US) | Dennis the Menace (1951) | United States | 1979? | Originally distributed by Post-Hall Syndicate. No copyright renewal was found for the Dennis the Menace strip.[78] Only for music and later books that collected the strip. The comic strip itself doesn't seem to have ever been registered either. Some comic books based on the strip were also not renewed. | Hank Ketcham (d. 2001) | |
| Fighting American | Fighting American #1 (1954) | United States | 1982 | Issues 1, 6&7 were not renewed. | Jack Kirby (d. 1994) Joe Simon (d. 2011) | |
| Marmaduke | Marmaduke (1954) | United States | 1982? | Distributed by National Newspaper Syndicate and later United Features. No copyright renewal was found for the Marmaduke strip from the National Newspaper run. Early strips were also never registered either.[79] | Brad Anderson (d. 2015) | |
| Richie Rich | Little Dot #1 (September 1954) | United States | 1984 | The first 21 issues of Little Dot were not renewed as well as Richie Rich #10-16.[80][81] | Alfred Harvey (d. 1994) | |
| Baby Huey | Casper #1 (1949) | United States | 1976 | Copyright was not renewed for Casper #1 which was released 6 months before his animated appearance in Quack-a-Doodle-Doo (1950) which also wasn't renewed, because of this, characters such as the Fox and Huey's mother are also in the Public Domain.[82] | Martin Taras (d. 1994) | |
| Blondie and Dagwood Bumstead | Blondie (1930) | United States | 2026 | The first strip was renewed, but many of the post-1930 ones up to May 3rd 1933 weren't renewed. There is also no copyright renewal found for the February 1933 strips in which Dagwood and Blondie got married, and Dagwood's obsession with sandwiches may be too generic to copyright as "food obsession" can be considered a common trope and uncopyrightable, so this characteristic of Dagwood's food obsession is also public domain as of 2026. | Chic Young (d. 1973) | R199428 for the first comic strip |
| Joe Palooka | Joe Palooka (1930) | United States | 1959 | No copyright renewal was found for first strip.[83] | Ham Fisher (d. 1955) | |
| Wendy the Good Little Witch | Casper the Friendly Ghost #20 (May 1954) | United States | 1984 | Casper the Friendly Ghost #20 was not renewed in 1984.[84] | Steve Mufatti (d. 1968) | |
| Turok | Four Color #596 (October/November 1954) | United States | 1984 | Turok is in public domain since the comic where he first appeared didn't have its copyright renewed.[85] | Gaylord DuBois (d. 1993)
Rex Maxon (d. 1973) |
|
| Characters from The Family Circus (Daddy (Bil), Dolly, Billy, Mommy (Thel), Jeffy, and P.J.) | The Family Circus (February 29, 1960) | United States | 1988 | Originally distributed by Tribune, later King Features Syndicate. No copyright renewal was found for the first Family Circus strips from the Tribune run except for a book compiling some of them.[86] | Bil Keane (d. 2011) | |
| Fin Fang Foom | Strange Tales #89 (1961) | United States | 1989 | Copyright was not renewed for Strange Tales #85-95[87][88] | Jack Kirby (d. 1994)
Stan Lee (d. 2018) |
|
| Eijirō Saito and other characters from Say Hello to Black Jack (first series only) | Morning #2 (2002) | Japan | 2012 | The author Shūhō Satō, after cancelling his contract with publisher Kodansha, has announced in a 2012 blog post that he will allow people secondary usage of his work Say Hello to Black Jack "to create editions in foreign languages, films, applications, anime, and more without any royalty payments", effectively willingly putting the manga series into the public domain. The live-action television drama adaptation, the sequel manga series Shin Black Jack ni Yoroshiku, and Shūhō Satō's other manga works outside of that remain copyrighted.[89][90][91] | Shūhō Satō (still living) | |
| Charlie Brown and Snoopy | Lil' Folks (1947) (prototypical versions) Peanuts (1950) | United States | 1947 (Lil' Folks characters and the Rover prototype of Snoopy) 1948 (for the Lil' Folks prototype of Charlie Brown) 2046 (Peanuts characters) | While the syndicated Peanuts is still under copyright due to being renewed, the early prototype of the strip titled Lil' Folks which was originally published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press in 1947 were not renewed and lacked a notice on all of the strips.[92] Charlie Brown was a name given to multiple minor characters (first of which was in a May 30, 1948 strip), and Rover, who would become Snoopy, was a normal dog, while Patty's early prototype was a girl character named "Patricia Smith."
It is debatable, however, whether the Lil' Folks characters have enough continuity with the Peanuts characters to affect the copyright status of the latter or if the "Charlie Brown" and "Rover" from Lil' Folks are different characters in a similar situation to Donald Duck's 1931 prototype from The Adventures of Mickey Mouse. |
Charles Schulz (d. 2000) | R682089 |
| Nero | De Avonturen van Detectief Van Zwam (1947) | Belgium | 2030 | All of Sleen's comics will be willingly released by his estate into the public domain in 2030. As of 2026, they exist under a license where they are free to use, but all commercial uses must be approved by the Marc Sleen Foundation and political or religious organisations are forbidden from using them.[93] | Marc Sleen (d. 2016) | |
| Namor | Motion Picture Funnies Weekly #1, Marvel Comics #1 (both 1939) | United States | 1968? 2035? | One of the first Marvel Comics characters. The character was created for Motion Picture Funnies Weekly and first appeared in said book as well as Marvel Comics in 1939. The former book didn't have its copyright renewed[31] so if it was published first, Namor could be in the public domain. However, it is unclear which book was published first, or if the former book was published at all.[94] | Bill Everett (d. 1973) | RE0000398024 for Marvel Comics #1.
No renewal is found for Motion Picture Funnies Weekly, if it was published. |
| Cerebus the Aardvark | Cerebus the Aardvark #1 (1977) | Canada | 2073 at maximum | Dave Sim has criticized the use of copyrights to restrict the use of creations which would have more quickly become public domain under earlier copyright law, and has arranged for his body of work to fall into the public domain upon his death.[95] Cerebus is already free to a degree, as Dave Sim has stated that other creators are free to use his characters in their own works. | Dave Sim (still living) | |
| Bigby Wolf and other characters from Fables | Fables (July 2002) | United States | 2023? | In September 2023, Bill Willingham claimed he has released the Fables intellectual property into the public domain,[96] Despite this, DC Comics continues to claim ownership of the franchise and has declared their intent to enforce their copyright.[97][98] | Bill Willingham (still living) | |
| Little Lulu | The Saturday Evening Post cartoon (February 23, 1935) | United States | 2031 | Marjorie "Marge" Henderson Buell (d. 1993) | R304878 for the February 23, 1935 edition of The Saturday Evening Post | |
| Huey, Dewey, and Louie | Silly Symphonies featuring Donald Duck (October 17, 1937) | United States | 2033 | First appeared in animation in Donald's Nephews (1938) | Ted Osborne (d. 1968)
Al Taliaferro (d. 1969) |
R354206 for comic
R361885 for animated short |
| Prince Valiant | Prince Valiant (1937) | United States | 2033 | Hal Foster (d. 1982) | R350344 for the first strip. | |
| The Addams Family | The New Yorker cartoon (6 August, 1938)[99] | United States | 2034 | The family members wouldn't get names until later on. Names cannot be copyrighted but legal issues could still happen due to trademarks by The Charles Addams Foundation. Only Morticia, Pugsley, Lurch and Grandmama (if she really did debut in 1938) will become public domain in 2034 while the rest of the family will expire later on (Cousin Itt was made for the 1964 television series, and he won't become public domain until 2061 at the latest). In the first strip showing the family meeting a vacuum cleaner seller, Lurch was originally implied to be Morticia's husband and had a beard, while the top of the stairs showing a proto-Pugsley had long hair and was a hunchback. For dates on when each members of the family (excluding Cousin Itt) expires, look under this entry. | Charles Addams (d. 1988) | R366101 for the August 6, 1938 edition of The New Yorker. The first strip was also renewed separately too under R366285. |
| Gomez Addams | The New Yorker cartoon (November 14, 1942) | United States | 2038 | Was unnamed until later, Lurch 1.0 may have been a prototype husband-figure of Morticia before Gomez was introduced. | Charles Addams (d. 1988) | R475436 for the November 14, 1942 Charles Addams cartoon from the New Yorker. |
| Wednesday Addams | The New Yorker cartoon (26 August, 1944) | United States | 2040 | Was unnamed until later. However, Wednesday and Morticia first got their names in a set of plush dolls sold in 1961.[100] No copyright renewals are found for the dolls, meaning that the first named appearances of Morticia and Wednesday will be usable once the characters' copyrights expire in 2034 (Morticia) and 2040 (Wednesday).[101] | Charles Addams (d. 1988) | R511729 for the New Yorker |
| Uncle Fester | The New Yorker cartoon (March 23, 1946)[102] | United States | 2042 | Often mistaken to have debuted in 1938, the first appearance of Uncle Fester was in a cartoon in 1946. Was also unnamed until much later. | Charles Addams (d. 1988) | R548737 for the New Yorker |
| Thing (The Addams Family) | Homebodies book (1954) | United States | 2050 | Was originally a unseen creature, the more well-known disembodied hand iteration was not until the 1964 television series. | Charles Addams (d. 1988) | RE0000127177 for Homebodies. |
| Superman, Lois Lane | Action Comics #1 (1938) | United States | 2034 | Superman's earliest comic strips did not have proper copyright notices. Also, neither the first year of his radio series' episodes, the Paramount cartoons from 1941–1943, nor the 1942 novel The Adventures of Superman had their copyrights properly renewed; therefore all of these are already in public domain. The first incarnation of a "Superman" character created by Siegel and Shuster, Bill Dunn as seen in the written story "The Reign of the Superman", is already public domain, but has very little, if anything, in common with the Superman known today. Lois Lane was inspired by fictional reporter Torchy Blane, who first appeared in the film Smart Blonde (1937). |
Jerry Siegel (d. 1996)
Joe Shuster (d. 1992) |
R362187 |
| Batman, James W. "Jim" Gordon | Detective Comics #27 (1939) | United States | 2035 | Batman was inspired by The Bat (1920) and stories with The Shadow. Coincidentally or not, a new version of Black Bat debuted just a few months after Batman. James Gordon shares his name with a pulp character created by Clifford Goodrich (first appeared in 1936, not to become PD until 2032[103][104]), though the first name of the DC character wasn't revealed until World's Finest #53 in 1951. | Bob Kane (d. 1998)
Bill Finger (d. 1974) |
R383871 |
| The Phantom Blot | Mickey Mouse comic strip (May 22, 1939) | United States | 2035 | Floyd Gottfredson (d. 1986)
Merrill De Maris (d. 1948) |
R390650 | |
| Robin | Detective Comics #38 (1940) | United States | 2036 | For the Dick Grayson version; later versions had separate copyrights | Bob Kane (d. 1998)
Bill Finger (d. 1974) Jerry Robinson (d. 2011) |
R415982 |
| The Joker | Batman #1 (1940) | United States | 2036 | Bob Kane (d. 1998)
Bill Finger (d. 1974) Jerry Robinson (d. 2011) |
R410635 | |
| The Flash | Flash Comics #1 (1940) | United States | 2036 | Jay Garrick version is from 1940
Later versions like Barry Allen and Wally West debuted in 1956 and 1959, respectively; West first became The Flash in 1986 before he was Kid Flash. Some later comics that introduced Gorilla Grodd and other characters weren't renewed. |
Gardner Fox (d. 1986)
Harry Lampert (d. 2004) |
R412577 for the 1940 comic |
| Green Lantern | All-American Comics #16 (1940) | United States | 2036 | Alan Scott is the version from 1940
Later versions like Hal Jordan and John Stewart debuted in 1959 and 1971, respectively |
Martin Nodell (d. 2006)
Bill Finger (d. 1974) |
R421919 for the 1940 comic |
| Captain America | Captain America Comics #1 (1941) | United States | 2036 | While the comic was cover dated for 1941, it was copyrighted in December, 1940. | Joe Simon (d. 2011)
Jack Kirby (d. 1994) |
R429502 |
| Wonder Woman | All Star Comics #8 (1941) | United States | 2037 | William Moulton Marston (d. 1947)
H. G. Peter (d. 1958) |
R457919 | |
| Aquaman | More Fun Comics #73 (1941) | United States | 2037 | Mort Weisinger (d. 1978)
Paul Norris (d. 2007) |
R461009 | |
| Green Arrow | More Fun Comics #73 (1941) | United States | 2037 | Mort Weisinger (d. 1978)
George Papp (d. 1989) |
R461009 | |
| Desperate Dan | The Dandy (1937) | United Kingdom | 2033 (US) / 2040 (UK) | Dudley D. Watkins (d. 1969) | ||
| Lord Snooty | The Beano (1938) | United Kingdom | 2034 (US) / 2040 (UK) | Original incarnation, does not include Lord Snooty the Third | Dudley D. Watkins (d. 1969) | |
| Biffo the Bear | The Beano #327 (1948) | United Kingdom | 2044 (US) / 2040 (UK) | Dudley D. Watkins (d. 1969) | ||
| Scrooge McDuck | "Christmas on Bear Mountain" (1947) | United States | 2043 | A predecessor character to Scrooge, the thrifty duck from The Spirit of '43 is already public domain as the short was commissioned by the US Government. | Carl Barks (d. 2000) | R592670[105] |
| Iron Man (Canadian comics) | Better Comics #1 (1941) | Canada | 2045 (Canada) / 2037 (US) | The first Canadian superhero. Not to be confused with Marvel's hero of the same name. | Vernon Miller (d. 1974) | |
| Nelvana of the Northern Lights | Triumph-Adventure Comics #1 (1941) | Canada | 2045 (Canada) / 2037 (US) | The first female Canadian superhero as well as the first Canadian national superhero. | Adrian Dingle (d. 1974) | |
| Sanmao | Sānmáo (1935) | Mainland China | 2031 (US) / 2043 (Mainland China) | Zhang Leping (d. 1992) | ||
| Jucika | Jucika és a sár (1957) | Hungary | 2053 (US) / 2041 (Hungary) | Pál Pusztai (d. 1970) | ||
| Tintin and Snowy | Le Petit Vingtième, strip (January 1929) Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, book (1930) | Belgium | 2025 (US) / 2054 (Belgium) | The first American release of the series was by Golden Press in 1959. Only Tintin in the Land of the Soviets and part of the serialized version of Tintin in the Congo are public domain in the United States as of 2026. Milou is often called Snowy in English translations and he wasn't called that until an English translation in the 1950s, but "Snowy" is too generic to be copyrighted or trademarked as it's a common name.
Later well-known side characters will enter the U.S. public domain later on: Rastapopoulos and Thomson and Thompson (the latter two were originally called "X33 et X33 bis") in 2028 (through the first act of Cigars of the Pharaoh), Captain Haddock in 2037 (through The Crab with the Golden Claws), and Professor Calculus in 2039 (through Red Rackham's Treasure). |
Hergé (d. 1983) | |
| Quick & Flupke | Le Petit Vingtième, strip (1930) Quick et Flupke Gamins de Bruxelles, book (1930) | Belgium | 2026 (US) / 2054 (Belgium) | Another lesser-known but also famous work by Hergé. | Hergé (d. 1983) | |
| Dennis the Menace (UK) | The Beano #452 (1951) | United Kingdom | 2047 (US) / 2073 at maximum (UK) | The same-named US coincidental (but non-related) character by Hank Ketcham is already public domain due to lack of a renewal, Gnasher was co-created by David Law and Ian Gray (d. 2007) so will become public domain in the UK in 2078 and in the US in 2064 at the latest. | George Moonie (d. 2002) David Law (d. 1971) Ian Chisholm (d. 1981) | |
| Fantastic Four | The Fantastic Four #1 (November 1961) | United States | 2057 | Often called "Marvel's First Family", the group's success would lead to the creations of many other famous Marvel characters (including Hulk and Spider-Man, who both debuted less than a year after the FF). | Stan Lee (d. 2018)
Jack Kirby (d. 1994) |
RE0000443829 |
| Black Spy and White Spy | Mad #60 (1961) | United States | 2057 | Antonio Prohías (d. 1998) | RE0000380649 | |
| Sabrina Spellman | Archie's Mad House #22 (1962) | United States | 2058 | Dan DeCarlo (d. 2001) | RE0000510833 | |
| Josie McCoy | She's Josie #1 (1962) | United States | 2058 | Lead singer and titular character of the all-girl rock band Josie and the Pussycats. While her first comic was cover dated for 1963, it was copyrighted in 1962. | Dan DeCarlo (d. 2001) | RE0000510850 |
| Norakuro | Shōnen Kurabu (1931) | Japan | 2060 (Japan) / 2027 (US) | The earliest Shōnen manga series, some animated films featuring the character are also in the public domain due to most pre-1953 films being considered public domain in Japan (from a 2006 lawsuit) and were not restored by the URAA due to already being public domain in their home country at the time. | Suihō Tagawa (d. 1989) | |
| Sazae Fuguta and her family | Sazae-san (1946) | Japan | 2042 (US) / 2063 (Japan) | Machiko Hasegawa (d. 1992) | ||
| Astro Boy | Shonen (April 1951) | Japan | 2047 (US) / 2060 (Japan) | Osamu Tezuka (d. 1989) | ||
| Kimba the White Lion | Manga Shōnen (November 1950) | Japan | 2046 (US) / 2060 (Japan) | Known as Jungle Emperor Leo in Japan, Kimba name would not be used until American localisations circa 1966. | Osamu Tezuka (d. 1989) | |
| Spirou | Le Journal de Spirou #1 (April 21, 1938) | Belgium | 2034 (US) / 2062 (Belgium) | Robert Velter (d. 1991) | ||
| Johan | La Dernière Heure (1947) | Belgium | 2043 (US) / 2063 (Belgium) | Peyo (d. 1992) | ||
| Peewit | Spirou #845 (1954) | Belgium | 2050 (US) / 2063 (Belgium) | Peyo (d. 1992) | ||
| The Smurfs | Spirou #1072 (October 1958) | Belgium | 2054 (US) / 2063 (Belgium) | First appeared in the Johan and Peewit story The Smurfs and the Magic Flute | Peyo (d. 1992) | |
| Gaston Lagaffe | Spirou #985 (February 1957) | Belgium | 2053 (US) / 2068 (Belgium) | André Franquin (d. 1997) |
Radio/Sound Origin
Sound recordings have different copyright lengths from other works. (Although first publication of the character like Green Hornet or compositions which have the same term as other works such as Frosty the Snowman could still see them enter earlier but the recordings have longer terms.) See Ask a Librarian
| Character | First appearance | Source country | Expiration | Notes | Original author/copyright owner | Renewal (if applicable) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lone Ranger, Tonto | The Lone Ranger (1933) | United States | 1961 | Copyright registrations for episodes found in the Drama section of the copyright catalogs. No copyright renewals found for scripts in 1959-61 catalogs in the Drama section. | Fran Striker (d. 1962)
George W. Trendle (d. 1972) |
No copyright renewals found for relevant episodes.[106] |
| Perry White, Jimmy Olsen | The Adventures of Superman (1940) | United States | 1968 | Copyright registrations for episodes found in the Drama section of the copyright catalogs. No copyright renewals found for scripts in 1966-68 catalogs in the Drama section. | Jerry Siegel (d. 1996)
Joe Shuster (d. 1992) George Putnam Ludlam (d. 1997) Robert Maxwell (d. 1971) |
No copyright renewals found for relevant episodes[107] |
| Victor Gook and Sade Gook | Vic and Sade (1932) | United States | 1960 (for the script and characters) | Paul Rhymer (d. 1964) | No copyright renewals found for relevant episodes.[108] | |
| Green Hornet, Kato | Adventures of The Hornet/The Green Hornet (1936) | United States | 2032 (for the script and the characters) | George W. Trendle (d. 1972)
Fran Striker (d. 1962) |
||
| Frosty the Snowman | "Frosty the Snowman" (1950) | United States | 2046 (for the composition and the character), 2061 (for the recording) | Often mistaken for being public domain | Walter E. "Jack" Rollins (d. 1973) Steve Nelson (d. 1981) | R667494 for the composition/sheet music. |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks (Alvin, Simon, and Theodore Seville) | "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" (1958) | United States |
|
The characters' familiar finalized designs, introduced in 1961's television cartoon The Alvin Show, will enter the public domain in 2057. | Ross Bagdasarian (d. 1972) | RE0000315031 for the composition/sheet music
The original recording is copyrighted until February 15, 2067 under the CLASSICS ACT |
Other Origins
| Character | First appearance | Source country | Expiration | Notes | Original author/copyright owner | Renewal (if applicable) | Medium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bibendum | Nunc est bibendum!!.. (1894) | France | 2017 (France) | Be cautious of trademarks, as this is an active advertising character. | O'Galop (d. 1946) | Poster | |
| The Laughing Cow | The Laughing Cow logo (1920s) | France | 2010 (France) | Be cautious of trademarks. | Benjamin Rabier (d. 1939) | Logo | |
| Banania black man mascot | Banania logo (1915) | France | 2023 (France) | Be cautious if planning to use the character as the character's original form is considered offensive. | Giacomo de Andreis (d. 1952) | Logo | |
| Mr. Peanut | Antonio Gentile's drawing of Mr. Peanut (1916) | United States | 1916 | Original drawing lacked a notice. Colored iteration will remain copyrighted until later. | Antonio Gentile (d. 1939) | Drawing | |
| The Golden Bat | Black Bat (1930) | Japan | 1930 (Japan and United States) | Kamishibai plays were never copyrighted in Japan due to being from oral tradition and Golden Bat has became copyright-free there as well as copyright-free in the US too due to being a work already being in the public domain in its home country before the Berne Convention.[109] Various manga and anime featuring him are still copyrighted. | Takeo Nagamatsu (d. 1961) | Kamishibai (Japanese paper theatre) | |
| Aka Manto | Unknown (oral tradition, 1930s or earlier) | Japan | Various media featuring him are still copyrighted. | Unknown | Urban legend | ||
| Kilroy | Kilroy was here (1940s) | United States | 1940s | Unknown | Meme | ||
| Reddy Kilowatt | Advertisement for the Alabama Power Company (1926) | United States | 2022 | The current version, which was made by Walter Lantz Productions, is still under copyright.[110] Modern versions are trademarked by Xcel Energy. | Ashton B. Collins Sr. (d. 1976) | Advertisement | |
| Cymbal-banging monkey | "Hoppo the Waltzing Monkey" (1932) | United States | 1960 | Unknown | No renewal found for original 1932 toy[111] | Toy | |
| Mr. Potato Head | Mr. Potato Head toy (1952) | United States | 1980 | Originally depicted with a human body and was made with a real organic potato. Don Rickles' portrayal from Toy Story will likely remain under copyright until 2091. Same case for Slinky Dog and Mrs. Potato Head, whose original designs also weren't renewed. | George Lerner (d. 1995) | Toy | |
| Martians | Mars Attacks (1962) | United States | 1990 | Inspired by the aliens on the cover of Weird Science #16 (1951) | Len Brown (still living) | No renewal is seen for the cards (artwork or visual material) [112] | Trading cards |
| Quicky | Nestlé's Quik package (1960) | United States | 1960 | Originally depicted as a pink bunny on a packages which lacked a notice or were not renewed. Early brown iteration is also public domain due to no notices on commercials, but be cautious of trademarks. | Unknown | Package | |
| Tony the Tiger and Tony Jr. | Kellogg's frosted flakes package (1952) | United States | 1952 | Original box lacked a valid notice and was not renewed, other family members is also public domain due to no notices on commercials, but be cautious of trademarks. | Eugene Kolkey (unknown) | Package | |
| Burger King | Sign at the first Burger King restaurant (1955) | United States | 1983 | Be careful not to use later iterations of this character. | Unknown | No renewal is found for the original image. | Sign |
| Baby Shark | "Baby Shark" (20th century) | Unknown (oral tradition, early to mid 20th century) | Often mistakenly believed to have originated with Pinkfong in the 2010s. Traditional lyrics contain very violent elements such as CPR and dismemberment. | Unknown | Folk song | ||
| MissingNo. | Pocket Monsters Red and Pocket Monsters Green (1996) Pokémon Red Version and Pokémon Blue Version (1998, L-shape) | Japan America (L-shape) | 2023 (as this was when AI-generated content was ruled to be uncopyrightable in US) / Unknown (Japan) | Simply a jumbled mess of glitched sprites that cannot be discerned, so legally computer-generated - has notably been used in the Cartoon Network series We Bare Bears without issue. Wider game is under copyright with famously strict protection. However, while the sprite itself is public domain and the name is too generic to trademark, the ways in which MissingNo. effects the game (such as its duplication ability and movelist) are ambiguous. Ghost and fossil forms remain under copyright, being human-drawn artwork the glitch happens to utilise. | Pokémon game code (legally AI)
Game had many programmers and monster designers of equal importance. |
Video game | |
| Mr. Monopoly | Monopoly (1935) (prototype form) | United States | 2031 | Daniel Fox (unknown) | R308634 | Board game | |
| Mr. Playboy | Playboy #1 (1953) | United States | 2049 | Character name was revealed in a limited edition of toys of him in 1999. | Art Paul (d. 2018) | RE0000101661 | Magazine |
| Alfred E. Neuman | Mad #21 (1955) | United States | 2051 | Harvey Kurtzman (d. 1993) | RE0000135200 | Magazine | |
| Barbie | 1959 | United States | 2055 | Ruth Handler (d. 2002) | RE0000280638 (for the Barbie doll) | Toy | |
| Ken (Barbie) | 1961 | United States | 2057 | Ruth Handler (d. 2002) | RE0000374906 (for the Ken doll) | Toy | |
| Mario, Donkey Kong, and Pauline | Donkey Kong (1981) | Japan | 2052? (Japan) / 2077 (US) | Provided as an example of when video games with recognizable characters will start becoming public domain. Miyamoto was not initially credited for Donkey Kong, therefore it could possibly be attributed as a creation of Nintendo and enter public domain in Japan 70 years from publication, in 2052. Contrary to popular belief, Mario possessed the name Mario as far back as 1981, however Pauline would only gain her name a year later in a coloring book, being known as "Lady" prior. | Shigeru Miyamoto (still living) | Video game |
See also
Notes
- ↑ Unpublished works pre-1964 required registration to gain a 95+ term or else it would be 70 years after author's death or 120 years if the author is not known. This registration was not renewed in 1966, thus making the character's copyright effectively based on the book despite the film being his first "public" appearance. The role of Timothy was originally filled in the book by a sparrow named Red, the crows also didn't appear and a wise owl instead helped Dumbo with his flying. In theory, while anyone could legally adapt the book. Disney still owns trademarks and copyrights to the movie version of Dumbo.
- ↑ Serialization was from September, 1929 through January, 1930. The January 1930 edition was copyrighted in December 1929.
- ↑ Mickey and Minnie's modern character designs debuted in newspapers in 1938 in the comic strip story "Mickey Mouse Meets Robinson Crusoe", and in animation in Mickey's Surprise Party from 1939.
- ↑ For example, the characters appeared in color on posters as far back as 1928, even though their first color appearances in animated shorts would not come until 1935, in the cartoons Mickey's Garden (for Mickey, if only his appearances in his standard outfit are counted) and On Ice (for Minnie).
- ↑ Originally depicted as an adult, but legally specific age cannot be copyrighted.
References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20231204092053/http://www.michaelbarrier.com/Essays/DumboRollABook/DumboRollABook.html
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/application-card/card_catalog_CC19381945AA_296500-297199.0444
- ↑ https://digitalcollections.syr.edu/Documents/Detail/dumbo-the-flying-elephant-roll-a-book-galleys/22325?item=22326
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230411234716/https://inducks.org/story.php?c=W+SS++++1-07
- ↑ https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Template:PD-US-no-renewal-unvested
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords?tab=collection&query=Detective+Story+Hour&sin=TXT&and%5B%5D=year%3A%5B1958+TO+1958%5D
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20210817185819/https://inducks.org/story.php?c=ZS+3902
- ↑ The Black Seas of Copyright
- ↑ S. T. Joshi (1996). H. P. Lovecraft: A Life
- ↑ https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17287790/conan-doyle-estate-ltd-v-springer/
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/dec/22/lawsuit-copyright-warmer-sherlock-holmes-dismissed-enola-holmes
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22Clifford%22&field_type=%22title%22&records_per_page=100&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&type_of_work=%22text%22&model=%22%22&date_field=%22representative_date%22&start_date=%221963-01-01%2000:00:00%22&end_date=%221992-01-01%2000:00:00%22
- ↑ Nancy Drew & The Case of the Missing Copyrights
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords?tab=collection&query=Doc+Savage&sin=TXT&and%5B%5D=year%3A%5B1962+TO+1971%5D
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22wilkins%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=100&sort_field=%22representative_date%22&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&model=%22%22&date_field=%22representative_date%22&start_date=%221957-01-01%2000:00:00%22&end_date=%221984-01-01%2000:00:00%22
- ↑ https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ38b.pdf
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22General%20Hospital%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=100&sort_field=%22representative_date%22&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&model=%22%22
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22Dear%20Corpus%20Delicti%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=10&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&model=%22%22
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords?tab=collection&query=Enough+Rope&sin=TXT
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/publicdomain/comments/14mied7/is_robot_monster_1953_public_domain/
- ↑ https://publicdomainsherpa.com/copyright-restoration.html#:~:text=At%20the%20time%20the%20work,the%20year%20of%20first%20publication.
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22felix%20the%20cat%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=10&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&model=%22%22
- ↑ https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/blackie-wolfie-herman-and-katnip/
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords?tab=collection&query=The+Comic+strips+of+television&sin=TXT
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22StarKist%22
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22the%20adventures%20of%20paddy%20the%20pelican%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=10&sort_order=%22asc%22&model=%22%22
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22Cargo%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=10&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&type_of_work=%22motion_picture%22&model=%22%22&date_field=%22representative_date%22&start_date=%221957-01-01%2000:00:00%22&end_date=%221986-01-01%2000:00:00%22
- ↑ Donald Duck Arrived in Print Three Years Earlier Than His On-Screen Appearance. D23 (June 21, 2013).
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22flintstones%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=10&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&type_of_work=%22music%22&model=%22%22
- ↑ https://archive.ph/20140906072002/https://www.courtlistener.com/nysd/b79w/national-comics-publications-v-fawcett-publication/#selection-651.0-651.597
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 https://web.archive.org/web/20091027095729/http://geocities.com/cash_gorman/copyright1.html
- 1 2 3 4 https://community.cbr.com/threads/the-public-domain-status-of-the-charlton-characters-and-more.159754/
- 1 2 https://www.reddit.com/r/publicdomain/comments/12xls81/charlton_comics_pd_proof/
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords?tab=collection&query=The+Blue+Beetle&sin=TXT&and%5B%5D=year%3A%5B1913+TO+1956%5D
- ↑ https://www.deviantart.com/amanacer-fiend0/art/PD-Showcase-PD-MLJ-Archie-Comics-968898463
- ↑ https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2022/09/08/eighty-ever-lovin-blue-eyed-years-with-pogo/
- 1 2 https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2025/
- ↑ https://mashable.com/article/public-domain-day-2025
- ↑ https://www.npr.org/2024/12/26/nx-s1-5231543/copyright-public-domain-2025-cartoon-popeye-tintin-faulkner-hemingway
- ↑ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/happy-public-domain-day-popeye-rhapsody-in-blue-the-sound-and-the-fury-and-thousands-of-other-captivating-creations-are-finally-free-for-everyone-to-use-180985744/
- ↑ https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/cce/1958r.html
- ↑ https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/cce/1959r.html
- ↑ https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/cce/1959r.html
- ↑ https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/cce/1960r.html
- ↑ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Catalog_of_Copyright_Entries_Third_Serie/5hwhAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Mickey
- ↑ https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2026/#section2
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=MR4hAQAAIAAJ&q=Dick+tracy#v=onepage&q=Dick%20tracy&f=false
- ↑ https://books.google.com/books?id=ZB0hAQAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=Dick%20tracy&f=false
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords?tab=collection&query=Dick+Tracy&sin=TXT&and%5B%5D=year%3A%5B1962+TO+1972%5D
- ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11823/pg11823-images.html
- ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11825/pg11825-images.html
- ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11825/pg11825-images.html
- ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11826/pg11826-images.html
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords?tab=collection&query=Li%27l+Abner&sin=TXT&and%5B%5D=year%3A%5B1967+TO+1968%5D
- ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11854/pg11854-images.html
- ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11853/pg11853-images.html
- ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11825/pg11825-images.html
- ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11825/pg11825-images.html
- ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11826/pg11826-images.html
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords?tab=collection&query=Terry+and+the+Pirates&sin=TXT&and%5B%5D=year%3A%5B1972+TO+1972%5D
- ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11821.html.images
- ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11822.html.images
- ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11823.html.images
- ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11824.html.images
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords?tab=collection&query=Flash+Gordon&sin=TXT&and%5B%5D=year%3A%5B1963+TO+1964%5D
- ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11825/pg11825-images.html
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/groups/PDHeroes/posts/24612206335088173/
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords?tab=collection&query=Mandrake+the+Magician&sin=TXT&and%5B%5D=year%3A%5B1968+TO+1973%5D
- ↑ https://chart.copyrightdata.com/c06A.html
- ↑ https://copyrightsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cpy_69-3-Examining-Copyright.pdf
- ↑ https://www.comics.org/series/84550/
- ↑ https://thephantom.fan/collectibles/king-features-syndicate-distribution-book/
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/publicdomain/comments/1jpmzfd/guide_how_to_search_for_renewals_on_syndicated/
- ↑ Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series. Part 2: Periodicals Jan-Dec 1964: Vol 18
- ↑ https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=82548
- ↑ https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/11856/pg11856-images.html
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22Johnny%20Hart%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=100&sort_field=%22representative_date%22&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&model=%22%22
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22dennis%20the%20menace%22&field_type=%22title%22&records_per_page=10&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&model=%22%22
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22marmaduke%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=10&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&model=%22%22
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22Little%20Dot%20%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=10&sort_field=%22representative_date%22&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&model=%22%22
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22%5C%22richie%20rich%5C%22%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=10&sort_field=%22representative_date%22&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&model=%22%22
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22Casper%20%231%20%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=10&sort_order=%22asc%22&model=%22%22
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords?tab=collection&query=Joe+Palooka&sin=TXT&and%5B%5D=year%3A%5B1950+TO+1960%5D
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22Casper%20the%20Friendly%20Ghost%20%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=100&sort_field=%22representative_date%22&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&model=%22%22
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/publicdomain/comments/1mblvtp/turok_in_the_public_domain/
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22family%20circus%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=10&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&model=%22%22&date_field=%22representative_date%22&start_date=%221950-01-01%2000:00:00%22&end_date=%221992-01-01%2000:00:00%22
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22Strange%20Tales%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=100&sort_field=%22representative_date%22&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&model=%22%22
- ↑ https://www.deviantart.com/amanacer-fiend0/art/PD-Showcase-PD-Marvel-Comics-from-1951-to-1963-966904542
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/answerman/2015-06-19/.89398
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-08-24/say-hello-to-black-jack-author-makes-title-copyright-free
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20130103065601/https://mangaonweb.com/creatorDiarypage.do?cn=1&dn=34269
- ↑ https://peanuts.fandom.com/wiki/Li%27l_Folks,_June_1947_comic_strips
- ↑ https://marcsleen.be/en/termsandconditions/
- ↑ https://comicsarcheology.com/index.php/2023/11/09/marvel-comics-1-namor/
- ↑ https://momentofcerebus.blogspot.com/2014/11/weeklyupdate-7-november-14.html
- ↑ Wood, Robert (2023-09-14). "I Can't Afford to Sue DC": Fables Creator Releases Hit Comic Series into Public Domain (Including Wolf Among Us) (english). ScreenRant. Retrieved on 2023-09-14.
- ↑ Creator of the Wolf Among Us universe releases it to public domain (16 September 2023).
- ↑ Fables: Free for All or Owned by One? (29 February 2024).
- ↑ https://www.lambiek.net/artists/a/addams_charles.htm
- ↑ https://attemptedbloggery.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-first-addams-family-dolls.html
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22morticia%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=10&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&model=%22%22
- ↑ https://www.ebay.com/itm/116553444373
- ↑ https://thepulp.net/pulp-articles/street-smiths-second-string-heroes-2/
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/publicdomain/comments/1kbtzjv/is_the_original_commissioner_gordon_in_the_public/
- ↑ https://www.google.com/books/edition/Catalog_of_Copyright_Entries_Third_Serie/jkchAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords?tab=collection&query=Lone+Ranger&sin=TXT&and%5B%5D=year%3A%5B1959+TO+1961%5D
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords?tab=collection&query=The+Adventures+of+Superman&sin=TXT&and%5B%5D=year%3A%5B1966+TO+1968%5D
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords?tab=collection&query=Vic+and+Sade&sin=TXT&and%5B%5D=year%3A%5B1959+TO+1972%5D
- ↑ https://publicdomainsherpa.com/copyright-restoration.html
- ↑ Per R552369
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords?tab=collection&query=Hoppo+the+Waltzing+Monkey&sin=TXT
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/search?page_number=1&query=%22Mars%20Attacks%22&field_type=%22keyword%22&records_per_page=10&sort_field=%22representative_date%22&sort_order=%22asc%22®istration_class=%22RE%22&model=%22%22