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Copyright Guide for Faculty: Public Domain Day

Introduction

January 1st is Public Domain Day

Public Domain Day celebrates creative works that enter the public domain in the new year. This year, creative works from 1929 and sound recordings from 1924 have entered the public domain. These works are free to use in any capacity without paying royalties or requesting permission.

Note that because copyright laws are different in every country, not all works enter the public domain at the same time around the world.

The Public Domain

The public domain refers to works that are free from copyright protection. Anyone may use these works without asking for permission or paying royalties.

In Canada, works enter the public domain 70 years after the creator's death (on January 1st of the following year). This is called the "life +70" rule.

Works can be in the public domain for many reasons:

  • Because the term of copyright protection has ended;
  • Because the work was not eligible for copyright protection in the first place; or
  • Because the copyright owner has waived their rights and allowed the work to enter the public domain.

In some cases, a work may enter the public domain but a specific edition or image of the work may still be under copyright. 

Notable Works Entering the Public Domain in 2025

  • The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner.
  • A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway.
  • A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf.
  • "The Karnival Kid" by Disney Cartoons, Mickey Mouse's first speaking role.
  • The Broadway Melody, Hollywood's first all-talking musical.
  • The original designs for the characters of Popeye and Tintin (only in USA).
  • The song "Singin' in the Rain" with lyrics by Arthur Freed and music by Nacio Herb Brown. The 1952 film Singin' in the Rain remains under copyright.
  • Agatha Christie's Seven Dials Mystery.
  • The first English translation of All Quiet on the Western Front.
  • 3 works of art from Salvador Dalí