Overview
- On January 1, 2026, U.S. copyright terms of 95 years brought 1930 publications into the public domain, an annual transition highlighted by Duke University’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain.
- Betty Boop’s debut in the 1930 short Dizzy Dishes—depicting her original anthropomorphic-dog design—can now be used without permission, and early Blondie comic strips are also available.
- Nine Mickey Mouse cartoons from 1930 entered the public domain along with Pluto’s earliest appearance as “Rover,” expanding reuse options for those specific versions.
- The first four Nancy Drew books written by Mildred Benson under the pen name Carolyn Keene are now free to use, as are works including The Maltese Falcon, The Murder at the Vicarage and As I Lay Dying.
- Notable films such as Animal Crackers, The Blue Angel, The King of Jazz, All Quiet on the Western Front and Cimarron, and songs including I Got Rhythm, Embraceable You and Georgia on My Mind, are included, with separate rules still applying to older sound recordings.