These Classic Characters Are Now in the Public Domain

By law, all films, music, and books created in the United States are protected under copyright. But copyrights eventually expire, and when they do, those works enter the “public domain” which means anyone is free to share those works — or to create derivative works based on the original works without the original author’s (or, more realistically, the author’s estate’s) permission.

So every year New Year’s Day is also Public Domain Day, when films, books, songs, and other various works of art enter the public domain. This year, that is largely things that were first released or published in 1929. These works are now freely available to anyone who wants them. Legally, you can copy them, you can share them, or you can make your own versions of them.

This year’s new additions to the public domain include Oscar winners, early works by some of the greatest directors in history, several more cartoons featuring Disney’s Mickey Mouse (whose first appearance, “Steamboat Willie,” finally entered the public domain last year), and two of the most beloved and well-known comic-book and comic-strip characters in the history of the medium.

Here are ten of the most notable additions to the public domain in 2025.

READ MORE: 2024’s List of Notable Entries to the Public Domain

You can see more of what entered the public domain in the video below from Duke University — although they note that “thousands of copyrighted works from 1929” entered the public domain this year. These are just a small handful of the most important items on the list.