1925 first edition copy of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, cover illustration by Francis Cugat.
There are many ways a work of art, literature, or film may enter the public domain.
Each year, many classic works become public simply due to the passing of time.
1925 first edition copy of “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, cover illustration by Francis Cugat. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons[Public domain])
These works include F. Scott Fitzgerald’sThe Great Gatsby, Virginia Woolf’sMrs.
Dalloway, and works by musicians such as Duke Ellington and Gertrude Ma Rainey.
These works join other recent copyright expirations which have delighted historians and artists alike.
“Lovers in Quarantine” a silent comedy film from 1925 starring Harrison Ford and Bebe Daniels. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons[Public domain])
Not all works of art and literature pass immediately into the public domain after 95 years.
Artist’s estates and their descendants may hold claim to use and profits for longer periods of time.
Additionally, intellectual property laws vary by country.
Virginia Woolf, photographed in 1902 byGeorge Charles Beresford. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons[Public domain])
Lovers in Quarantine a silent comedy film from 1925 starring Harrison Ford and Bebe Daniels.
Public domain works inspire modern creativity.
Duke Ellington photographed in the 1940s.
Duke Ellington photographed in the 1940s. Some of Ellington’s earliest works have just entered the public domain. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons[Public domain])
Some of Ellington’s earliest works have just entered the public domain.
