The stroke of midnight on January 1, 2026 will signal a major shift for global pop culture as thousands of works from 1930 enter the public domain, per npr.org. Under US copyright law, which protects creations for 95 years, nearly a century of intellectual property will finally become free to use, adapt, and share without permission or royalty fees.
This year’s “crop” is being hailed by legal experts as one of the most significant in history. Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke University’s Centre for the Study of the Public Domain, notes that 2026 brings an extraordinary fusion of literary masterpieces and iconic animation.
Leading the charge is the original Betty Boop, as seen in the cartoon Dizzy Dishes. At this stage in her evolution, the character famously possessed floppy dog ears that later morphed into her signature hoop earrings. She is joined by the initial version of Pluto, Disney’s lovable hound, who debuted in 1930 under the name “Rover”.
While modern iterations of these characters remain under trademark, the 1930 “1.0” versions are now open for creative reimagining. This has already sparked a trend in “public domain horror”, with a Betty Boop slasher film reportedly in development, following the path of recent Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse parodies.
The list of books entering the public domain is equally prestigious, including:
* Agatha Christie: The Murder at the Vicarage (the debut of Miss Marple).
* Dashiell Hammett: The full version of The Maltese Falcon.
* William Faulkner: As I Lay Dying.
* Nancy Drew: The first four books of the mystery series.
Cinema buffs will also see the liberation of pre-Hays Code films, works produced before the era of strict Hollywood censorship. Notable titles include the war epic All Quiet on the Western Front, the Marx Brothers’ Animal Crackers, and Greta Garbo’s first “talkie”, Anna Christie.
Beyond the ability to make “mash-up” art, the public domain is vital for preservation. “It goes well beyond creativity to availability,” says Jenkins. Many works from 1930 have been out of print for decades due to “orphan copyright” issues, where the original owners are untraceable.
Now, historians and educators can digitise, restore and distribute these works freely, ensuring that the human history captured in the shadow of the Great War is not lost to physical decay.
•Featured image: The original version of Betty Boop — as seen in this “Dizzy Dishes” cartoon — is one of many works from 1930 entering the public domain in 2026/Screenshot by NPR
