On January 1, 2026, qualifying works published or registered in 1930—and sound recordings first published in 1925—entered the public domain in the United States. The newly available material spans early Betty Boop and Disney cartoons, books, films, music and visual art. The change applies to specific works and versions, not entire franchises, and the list is not a worldwide clearance guide.
What entered the US public domain on January 1, 2026?
Under the applicable US copyright term, qualifying works published or registered in 1930 completed a 95-year term at the end of 2025 and entered the public domain on January 1, 2026. Sound recordings first published in 1925 entered that day under a separate schedule. Duke University’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain describes the cohort as thousands of works and recordings; it does not give a precise total.
This date concerns US law. Copyright terms differ by country, so a work’s status in the United States does not establish that it is free to use elsewhere. Duke’s Public Domain Day 2026 list is a useful discovery guide, but not a blanket rights clearance.
Which cartoons and characters are newly available?
Betty Boop’s early appearance
Betty Boop first appeared in the 1930 short Dizzy Dishes. As the Associated Press reports, she is not yet named in the cartoon: she has dangling poodle ears and a tiny black nose, and sings “boop boop, a doop.” Four of her 1930 cartoons enter the public domain in the United States. That does not make every later Betty Boop cartoon or design public domain.
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Copyright and trademark are separate. The AP reports that Fleischer Productions retains the Betty Boop trademark. Public-domain status for an early cartoon does not by itself authorize uses that imply brand affiliation or clear rights in later character designs.
Disney cartoons, Pluto and other comic characters
Nine new Mickey Mouse cartoons from 1930 enter the US public domain, along with new iterations of Mickey and Minnie identified by Duke. Pluto also appears in the cohort, but in his 1930 version he was called Rover; he received the name Pluto later. The list includes the first appearances of Blondie and Dagwood as well.
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These are specific early works and character iterations. Later cartoons, adaptations and design changes may have their own copyright protection, so “Mickey,” “Pluto” or “Betty Boop” is not a sufficient description of what is free to reuse.
Which books and literary characters entered?
- William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying.
- The full-book version of Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon.
- Agatha Christie’s The Murder at the Vicarage, Miss Marple’s first novel.
- The first four Nancy Drew books, beginning with The Secret of the Old Clock. They were written under the Carolyn Keene pen name; the first was written by Mildred Benson.
- Watty Piper’s illustrated version of The Little Engine That Could, with illustrations by Lois Lenski.
- William H. Elson’s Elson Basic Readers, which introduced Dick and Jane.
The entries refer to the relevant 1930 works, not automatically to later editions, illustrations, translations or adaptations. A modern edition may contain material that was not part of the newly public-domain version.
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What films, music, recordings and art are included?
Films
Notable 1930 film entries include the Marx Brothers’ Animal Crackers, The Blue Angel, King of Jazz, All Quiet on the Western Front and Cimarron. The public-domain status applies to the qualifying film versions, not necessarily later restorations, added material or adaptations.
Musical compositions and sound recordings
Among the compositions Duke names are George and Ira Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm,” “Embraceable You,” “I’ve Got a Crush on You” and “But Not for Me”; “Georgia on My Mind,” by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell; and “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” by Gus Kahn, Fabian Andre and Wilbur Schwandt.
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Compositions and recordings are distinct works with distinct rights. The 1925 sound-recording entrants are a separate cohort from the 1930 compositions. Duke’s examples include recordings of “Manhattan” and “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen,” as well as Bessie Smith’s “The St. Louis Blues” featuring Louis Armstrong. A public-domain composition does not by itself make every recording of it public domain.
Visual art
Duke also highlights paintings by Piet Mondrian and Paul Klee. As with the other entries, confirm the status of the exact work and any separate rights in a photograph, reproduction or later edition you plan to use.
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How to assess a work before reusing it
- Identify the exact item. Record its title, creator, medium and publication or registration date. A character name or franchise alone is not precise enough.
- Separate the layers. Check whether you are using an underlying book, composition or film; a particular sound recording; later artwork or additions; or a trademarked name or design.
- Check the territory. The 2026 calendar describes US status. Verify the rules for each country where you will publish, distribute or perform the work.
- Match the use to the version. A 1930 version entering the public domain does not automatically clear later adaptations, translations, restorations, editions or character iterations.
- Keep records of the basis for your decision. Note the version and source you relied on, especially for commercial distribution or uses involving a recognizable brand.
Jennifer Jenkins, law professor and director of Duke’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain, called it “a big year” and pointed to “the sheer familiarity of all this culture,” as quoted by the Associated Press on December 31, 2025. Familiarity makes the new entries easy to recognize; it does not remove the need to identify the particular work and rights involved.
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