At the turn of the new year, several pieces of classic media entered the public domain, making them free to use by anyone.
Some of the best-known characters include the earliest Popeye cartoon, as he appeared in the Thimble Theatre comic strip Gobs of Work. It is joined by Belgium's most famous comic book character Tintin, which appeared in Le Petit Vingtieme magazine comic strip Les Aventures de Tintin.
Anyone who wants to use these characters in their films, books or video games can do so but must still adhere to how they appeared in those particular comic strips and not any later iterations, which are still protected by copyright law.
Public domain is a term used for creative works not protected by intellectual property laws. These rights can be made available through an official waiver or forfeit from the creator or due to its term expiry.
There are also several classic novels entering the public domain such as the novels The Maltese Falcon and The Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner, Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie and the first English version of All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, translated by Arthur Wesley Wheen.
The Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain last year, which sparked plenty of interest in the character’s use without the permission of Disney. Another famous piece of property from the company entertaining the public domain this year is 1929's The Skeleton Dance, Disney's first Silly Symphony short, directed by Walt Disney and animated by Ub Iwerks.
Films entering the public domain this year include GW Pabst’s Pandora’s Box starring Louise Brooks; The Cocoanuts, the Marx brothers' first feature film, directed by Robert Florey and Joseph Santley; Sir Alfred Hitchcock’s first sound film Blackmail; and King Vidor’s Hallelujah, which is one of the first major studio films to feature an all-black cast.
Notable music entering the public domain this year includes George Gershwin’s An American in Paris, which was inspired by Gershwin's time spent in Paris and evokes the sights and energy of the French capital during the Jazz Age.
Joseph Burke and Alfred Dubin’s Tiptoe Through the Tulips is also being made available. Due to its eerie nature, the song’s later recording by musician Tiny Tim was used in the horror films Insidious and Insidious: The Red Door.
Looking ahead, next year will see another slate of new entries into the public domain including the earliest versions of Betty Boop, Mickey Mouse's dog Pluto and his friend Clarabelle Cow. MC Escher's famous painting The Bridge and Agatha Christie's seminal character Miss Marple will also be joining the list.
The most famous characters that will enter the public domain in the next decade or so include Universal's Frankenstein and Dracula in 2027, Mary Poppins and Donald Duck in 2030, Daffy Duck in 2033, Superman in 2034, Batman in 2035, Tom and Jerry and Bugs Bunny in 2036.