Thousands of works copyrighted since 1929, including the first speaking appearance of Mickey Mouse and original versions of comic characters Popeye and Tintin, entered public insurance US domain today January 1, 2025, as their 95-year copyright terms expired.
Popeye made his debut in EC Segar's Thimble Theatre, while Tintin first appeared in Georges Remi's Les Aventures de Tintin.
These original character versions can now be freely used without permission or charges.
Literary classics that fall into the public domain include William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury, Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, and Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own.
Musical compositions entering the public domain include his “An American in Paris”. George Gershwin, Maurice Ravel's "Bolero" and Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin'." The original 1929 recordings will remain protected until 2030 under separate copyright rules.
The remarkable ones Movies that have passed into the public domain include the Marx Brothers' first feature “The Cocoanuts,” Alfred Hitchcock's first sound film “Blackmail,” and several Mickey Mouse cartoons where the character debuts in his white gloves and he says his first words.
Recordings since 1924, including performances by Marian Anderson and George Gershwin, have also been entered into the public domain under the 100-year commitment to Music Modernization Act for historical recordings.
