January 1 marks a special day for culture enthusiasts and creative minds alike – Public Domain Day. On this day each year, a new cohort of artistic works bids farewell to copyright protection, opening the doors for sharing, remixing, and rediscovery. This year, the spotlight shines on the vibrant artistic tapestry of 1928, as thousands of once-copyrighted treasures in the United States enter the public domain.
Among the long-awaited gems are the iconic Disney classic “Steamboat Willie,” immortalized as the birthplace of Mickey Mouse‘s first animated adventures. Fans can now freely share and remix this piece of animation history. Another beloved childhood favorite, “House at Pooh Corner,” introduces Tigger to the public domain, along with J.M. Barrie’s timeless “Peter Pan.”
Literature enthusiasts will be delighted to know that works by eminent authors such as W.E.B. Du Bois, Agatha Christie, D.H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, and Robert Frost are now part of the public domain. This literary expansion offers the chance to explore and reimagine these classics without the constraints of copyright.
People have been waiting for this day — the day Mickey Mouse becomes public domain — since the very beginning of Wikipedia pic.twitter.com/J2upqmXOGk
— depths of wikipedia (@depthsofwiki) January 1, 2024
The cinematic landscape gains two significant additions with the entry of “Lights of New York” and Charlie Chaplin’s masterpiece, “The Circus.” Film enthusiasts can now freely access and repurpose these pieces of cinematic history.
Music lovers, too, have cause for celebration as the public domain welcomes an array of musical compositions. Broadway songs, jazz standards, early blues, and pop music, including Cole Porter‘s enchanting “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love),” are now open for creative exploration.
One of the defining features of works entering the public domain is the freedom they bring. Once a work sheds its copyright shackles, it becomes a shared cultural asset, free to be performed, reused, repurposed, or sampled without the need for permissions or financial transactions.
The journey of these works to the public domain is a tale of twists and turns. Originally slated to enter the U.S. public domain in 1984, the term of their copyright protection faced extensions until 2004. However, Congress threw in another curveball, adding a 20-year pause, thereby extending the copyright term to 95 years, as noted by the Duke Center for the Study of the Public Domain.
This year also marks a momentous occasion for sound recordings from 1923, which will finally be available under public domain. The Music Modernization Act, a milestone legislation passed in 2022, paved the way for the release of decades worth of sound recordings. Notably, sound recordings from 1923 faced a delay, making their entry into the public domain an eagerly awaited event.
The Library of Congress’s National Jukebox, a treasure trove of sound recordings more than a century old, will make these recordings available for download. Users can now freely remix these vintage tunes or incorporate them into modern soundtracks, bridging the gap between the past and the present.
While the Duke Center for the Study of the Public Domain has highlighted notable works entering the public domain in 2024, it’s important to recognize that these are just a fraction of the vast cultural landscape awaiting rediscovery. Books, movies, musical compositions, and song recordings from 1928 represent an expansive canvas for future creativity and exploration.
As we embrace Public Domain Day 2024, let us revel in the richness of our cultural heritage, celebrating the freedom for creativity to flourish unhindered by the constraints of copyright. The public domain beckons, inviting us to explore, reimagine, and build upon the timeless works that now belong to us all.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
