2024 in public domain

When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of creators whose works enter the public domain in 2024. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.

Countries with life + 70 years

With the exception of Belarus (Life + 50 years) and Spain (which has a copyright term of Life + 80 years for creators that died before 1987), a work enters the public domain in Europe 70 years after the creator's death, if it was published during the creator's lifetime. For previously unpublished material, those who publish it first will have the publication rights for 25 years.

Names	Land	Birth	Death	Occupation	Notable work
Hans Aanrud	Norwegen	3 September 1863	11 January 1953	Autor
Tamar Abakelia	Georgien	19 August 1905	14 May 1953	Sculptor
Abdullah Yusuf Ali	Indien	14 April 1872	10 December 1953	Translator	The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary
Dimitri Arakishvili	Georgien	11 February 1873	13 August 1953	Composer	The Legend of Shota Rustaveli
Walter Armitage	Südafrika	1 June 1906	22 February 1953	Playwright
Vladimir Bakaleinikov	Russland	3 October 1885	5 November 1953	Composer, conductor
Rudolf Bauer	Deutschland	11 February 1889	28 November 1953	Painter
Arnold Bax	Vereinigtes Königreich	8 November 1883	3 October 1953	Composer, writer	List of compositions by Arnold Bax
Harmsen van der Beek	The Netherlands	8 October 1897	24 July 1953	Illustrator, commercial artist	Noddy
Hilaire Belloc	Vereinigtes Königreich	27 July 1870	16 July 1953	Autor	Hilaire Belloc bibliography
Róbert Berény	Ungarn	18 March 1887	10 September 1953	Painter	Sleeping Lady with Black Vase
Henri Bernstein	Frankreich	20 June 1876	27 November 1953	Playwright	Samson, Mélo
Elsa Beskow	Schweden	11 February 1874	30 June 1953	Writer, illustrator
Ugo Betti	Italien	4 February 1892	9 June 1953	Playwright, judge	The Fugitive
Henrik Bull	Norwegen	28 March 1864	2 June 1953	Architect	National Theatre
Ivan Bunin	Russland	4 February 1892	9 June 1953	Autor	List of short stories by Ivan Bunin, List of poems by Ivan Bunin
John Horne Burns	Vereinigte Staaten	7 October 1916	11 August 1953	Autor	The Gallery
Rosario Candela	Vereinigte Staaten	7 March 1890	3 October 1953	Architect	740 Park Avenue
Harold Cazneaux	Australien	30 March 1878	19 June 1953	Photographer	Cazneaux Tree
Ahmed Ghulam Ali Chagla	Pakistan	31 May 1902	5 February 1953	Composer	"Qaumi Taranah"
Albert Coates	Vereinigtes Königreich	23 April 1882	11 December 1953	Composer, conductor
Ruth Crawford Seeger	Vereinigte Staaten	3 July 1901	18 November 1953	Composer	String Quartet 1931
Peter DeRose	Vereinigte Staaten	10 March 1896	23 April 1953	Composer	"Deep Purple"
Raoul Dufy	Frankreich	3 June 1877	23 March 1953	Painter
Edmund Dulac	Frankreich	22 October 1882	25 May 1953	Illustrator
Jean Epstein	Frankreich	25 March 1897	2 April 1953	Film director	The Fall of the House of Usher
Georges Le Faure	Frankreich	12 June 1856	25 May 1953	Autor
Emil Filla	Tschechische Republik	4 April 1882	7 October 1953	Painter
Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński	Polen	23 January 1905	6 December 1953	Poet	Skumbrie w tomacie
Albert Gleizes	Frankreich	8 December 1881	23 June 1953	Painter, writer	List of works by Albert Gleizes
Milt Gross	Vereinigte Staaten	4 March 1895	29 November 1953	Cartoonist
Guccio Gucci	Italien	26 March 1881	2 January 1953	Fashion designer
Sophia Hayden	Vereinigte Staaten	17 October 1868	3 February 1953	Architect	The Woman's Building
Mary Brewster Hazelton	Vereinigte Staaten	23 November 1868	13 September 1953	Painter
Jindřich Heisler	Tschechische Republik	1 September 1914	4 January 1953	Photographer, writer and surrealist artist
Cecil Hepworth	Vereinigtes Königreich	19 March 1874	9 February 1953	Film director, producer	Alice in Wonderland (1903 film)
Tatsuo Hori	Japan	28 December 1904	28 May 1953	Autor	The Wind Has Risen
Curuppumullage Jinarajadasa	Sri Lanka	16 December 1875	18 June 1953	Autor	Art as a factor in the soul's evolution
Joseph Jongen	Belgien	14 December 1873	12 July 1953	Composer	Mass, Op. 130
Emmerich Kálmán	Ungarn	24 October 1882	30 October 1953	Composer	Die Csárdásfürstin
Thiru. V. Kalyanasundaram	Indien	26 August 1883	17 September 1953	Autor
Fritz Kirchhoff	Deutschland	10 December 1901	25 June 1953	Film director	Attack on Baku
Moïse Kisling	Frankreich	22 January 1891	29 April 1953	Painter
Eduard Künneke	Deutschland	27 January 1885	27 October 1953	Composer	The Cousin from Nowhere
Elisabeth Kuyper	The Netherlands	13 September 1877	26 February 1953	Composer
Jorge de Lima	Brasilien	23 April 1893	15 November 1953	Politician, writer
Will Longstaff	Australien	25 December 1879	1 July 1953	Painter	Menin Gate at Midnight
Oskar Luts	Estland	7 January 1887	23 March 1953	Writer, playwright
Kornel Makuszyński	Polen	8 January 1884	31 July 1953	Autor	Koziołek Matołek
Herman J. Mankiewicz	Vereinigte Staaten	7 November 1897	5 March 1953	Screenwriter	Citizen Kane
Emmanuel de Margerie	Frankreich	11 November 1862	20 December 1953	Geographer
John Marin	Vereinigte Staaten	23 December 1870	2 October 1953	Painter
Daniel Gregory Mason	Vereinigte Staaten	20 November 1873	4 December 1953	Composer, music critic
Erich Mendelsohn	Deutschland	21 March 1887	15 September 1953	Architect	List of works by Erich Mendelsohn
Moses Milner	Russland	29 December 1886	25 October 1953	Composer
Mime Misu	Rumänien	29 December 1886	25 October 1953	Dancer, film director	In Nacht und Eis, Das Mirakel
Vera Mukhina	Soviet Union	1 July 1889	6 October 1953	Sculptor, painter	Worker and Kolkhoz Woman
Sulaiman Nadvi	Pakistan	22 November 1884	22 November 1953	Autor	Khutbat-e-madras
Ibrahim Nagi	Ägypten	1 July 1889	6 October 1953	Poet	"Al-Atlal"
Francesco Saverio Nitti	Italien	19 July 1868	20 February 1953	Politician
Hisato Ohzawa	Japan	1 August 1907	28 October 1953	Composer	Piano Concerto No. 3
Eugene O'Neill	Vereinigte Staaten	16 October 1888	27 November 1953	Playwright	Long Day's Journey into Night
Francis Picabia	Frankreich	22 January 1879	30 November 1953	Painter	List of works by Francis Picabia
Joseph Pinchon	Frankreich	17 April 1871	20 June 1953	Illustrator	Bécassine
Uroš Predić	Serbien	7 December 1857	12 February 1953	Painter	Happy Brothers
Alice Prin	Frankreich	22 January 1879	30 November 1953	Model, painter, writer	Kiki's Memoirs
Sergei Prokofiev	Russland	27 April 1891	5 March 1953	Composer, conductor	List of compositions by Sergei Prokofiev
Vsevolod Pudovkin	Russland	16 February 1893	30 June 1953	Film director, screenwriter
Roger Quilter	Vereinigtes Königreich	1 November 1877	21 September 1953	Composer	Arnold Book of Old Songs
Rachilde	Frankreich	11 February 1860	4 April 1953	Autor	Monsieur Vénus
Graciliano Ramos	Brasilien	27 October 1892	20 March 1953	Writer, translator	Vidas secas
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings	Vereinigte Staaten	8 August 1896	14 December 1953	Author	The Yearling
Django Reinhardt	Frankreich	23 January 1910	16 May 1953	Composer, musician
Winold Reiss	Vereinigte Staaten	16 September 1886	23 August 1953	Painter	Winold Reiss industrial murals
Pasquale Rizzoli	Italien	9 April 1871	30 January 1953	Sculptor
Ludomir Różycki	Polen	18 September 1883	1 January 1953	Composer
Max Sainsaulieu	Frankreich	17 July 1870	21 February 1953	Architect	Carnegie Library of Reims
Rudolph Schindler	Vereinigte Staaten	10 September 1887	22 August 1953	Architect	Schindler House
Edward Shanks	Vereinigtes Königreich	11 June 1892	4 May 1953	Autor	Fête Galante
Everett Shinn	Vereinigte Staaten	6 November 1876	1 May 1953	Painter
Joseph Stalin	Russland	18 December 1879	5 March 1953	Politician	Economic Problems of Socialism in the USSR
Vladimir Tatlin	Russland	28 December 1885	31 May 1953	Painter, architect	Tatlin's Tower
Neyzen Tevfik	Türkei	24 March 1879	28 January 1953	Poet, satirist
Jérôme Tharaud	Frankreich	18 May 1874	28 January 1953	Autor
Dylan Thomas	Vereinigtes Königreich	27 October 1914	9 November 1953	Poet	List of works by Dylan Thomas
Totius	Südafrika	21 February 1877	1 July 1953	Poet
Julian Tuwim	Polen	13 September 1894	27 December 1953	Poet	"Murzynek Bambo"
Jules Van Nuffel	Belgien	21 March 1883	25 June 1953	Composer	In convertendo Dominus
Bernard Carra de Vaux	Frankreich	1867	1953	Orientalist
Vydūnas	Litauen	22 March 1868	20 February 1953	Poet
Erich Weinert	Deutschland	4 August 1890	20 April 1953	Autor	"Der heimliche Aufmarsch"
Ben Ames Williams	Vereinigte Staaten	7 March 1889	4 February 1953	Autor	The Unconquered
Hank Williams	Vereinigte Staaten	17 September 1923	1 January 1953	Musician	List of songs written by Hank Williams
Arthur Wimperis	Vereinigtes Königreich	3 December 1874	14 October 1953	Lyricist, screenwriter	The Arcadians, Mrs. Miniver
Friedrich Wolf	Deutschland	23 December 1888	5 October 1953	Autor	Professor Mamlock
Xu Beihong	China	19 July 1895	26 September 1953	Painter
Vsevolod Zaderatsky	Russland	21 December 1891	1 February 1953	Composer
John Stepan Zamecnik	Vereinigte Staaten	14 May 1872	13 June 1953	Composer

Countries with life + 60 years

In Bangladesh, India, and Venezuela, a work enters the public domain 60 years after the creator's death.

Names	Land	Birth	Death	Occupation	Notable work
Babu Gulabrai	Indien	17 January 1888	13 April 1963	Autor
Nâzım Hikmet	Türkei	17 January 1902	3 June 1963	Poet	Kız Çocuğu
Amar Nath Kak	Indien	1889	1963	Autor
Rajendra Prasad	Indien	3 December 1893	28 February 1963	Politician, writer
Acharya Shivpujan Sahay	Indien	9 August 1893	21 January 1963	Autor
Laxminarayan Sahu	Indien	3 October 1890	18 January 1963	Autor
Rahul Sankrityayan	Indien	9 April 1893	14 April 1963	Activist, writer
Anasuya Shankar	Indien	1 September 1928	29 July 1963	Autor
Hemendra Kumar Roy	Indien	2 September 1888	18 April 1963	Autor
Laudelino Mejías	Venezuela	August 1893	30 November 1963	Composer

Countries with life + 50 years

In most countries of Africa and Asia, as well as Belarus, Bolivia and New Zealand, a work enters the public domain 50 years after the creator's death.

Names	Land	Birth	Death	Occupation	Notable work
Aziz Abaza	Ägypten	13 August 1898	11 July 1973	Poet, politician
Zainal Abidin Ahmad	Malaysia	16 September 1895	23 October 1973	Writer, linguist
W. H. Auden	Great Britain	21 February 1907	29 September 1973	Poet
Malek Bennabi	Algerien	1 January 1905	31 October 1973	Philosopher	Les Conditions de la Renaissance
Charles Brasch	Neuseeland	27 July 1909	20 May 1973	Poet, editor	Landfall
Elizabeth Bowen	Irland Vereinigtes Königreich	7 June 1899	22 February 1973	Biologist
Pearl S. Buck	Vereinigte Staaten	26 June 1892	6 March 1973	Novelist	The Good Earth
Amílcar Cabral	Kap Verde Guinea-Bissau	12 September 1924	20 January 1973	Activist	Esta É a Nossa Pátria Bem Amada
John Creasey	Vereinigtes Königreich	17 September 1908	9 June 1973	Autor	Gideon's Day
Bobby Darin	Vereinigte Staaten	14 May 1936	20 December 1973	Musician
Noël Coward	Vereinigtes Königreich	16 December 1899	26 March 1973	Playwright	Noël Coward on stage and screen
Henry Darger	Vereinigte Staaten	12 April 1892	13 April 1973	Novelist, artist	In the Realms of the Unreal
Arthur Freed	Vereinigte Staaten	9 September 1894	12 April 1973	Lyricist, film producer	Singin' in the Rain
John Ford	Vereinigte Staaten	1 February 1894	4 August 1973	Director	John Ford filmography
Ragnar Frisch	Norwegen	3 March 1895	31 January 1973	Economist
Anthony Gilbert	Great Britain	15 February 1899	9 December 1973	Autor	The Vanishing Corpse
Taha Hussein	Ägypten	13 August 1898	11 July 1973	Poet, politician	The Days
Lyndon B. Johnson	Vereinigte Staaten	27 August 1908	22 January 1973	Politician
Raymonde de Kervern	Mauritius	1898 or 1899	1973	Poet
Bruce Lee	Vereinigte Staaten	27 November 1940	20 July 1973	Martial artist	Tao of Jeet Kune Do
Kathleen Lindsay	Great Britain	1903	1973	Autor
Gian Francesco Malipiero	Italien	18 March 1882	1 August 1973	Composer, musicologist	L'Orfeide
Cornelia Meigs	Vereinigte Staaten	1884	1973	Childrens writer	The Windy Hill
Nancy Mitford	Great Britain	28 November 1904	30 June 1973	Autor	The Pursuit of Love
Pablo Neruda	Chile	12 July 1904	23 September 1973	Poet	Canto General, Oda al Gato
Robert C. O'Brien	Vereinigte Staaten	11 January 1918	5 March 1973	Autor	Z for Zachariah
Kid Ory	Vereinigte Staaten	25 December 1886	23 January 1973	Composer	Red Allen, Kid Ory & Jack Teagarden at Newport
Gram Parsons	Vereinigte Staaten	5 November 1946	19 September 1973	Musician
Isabel Peacocke	Neuseeland	31 January 1881	12 October 1973	Autor	Cathleen with a 'C'
Pablo Picasso	Spanien	25 October 1881	8 April 1973	Painter	Guernica, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon
Pixinguinha	Brasilien	23 April 1897	17 February 1973	Composer
William Plomer	Südafrika	10 December 1903	20 September 1973	Autor
Andy Razaf	Vereinigte Staaten	16 December 1895	3 February 1973	Lyricist	Ain't Misbehavin'
Gopal Prasad Rimal	Nepal	21 May 1917	24 October 1973	Poet	Jangi Nishan Hamro
Ivan T. Sanderson	Vereinigte Staaten	30 January 1891	19 February 1973	Biologist
Nigoghos Sarafian	Frankreich	1902	1972	Poet
Mohammed ash-Shanqîtî	Mauretanien KSA	17 February 1905	10 January 1973	Muslim scolar	Works
Allan Sherman	Vereinigte Staaten	30 November 1924	20 November 1973	Comedian	"Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp)"
Ousmane Diop Socé	Senegal	31 October 1911	27 October 1973	Poet	Contes et légendes d'Afrique noire
Abdillahi Suldaan Mohammed Timacade	Somalia	1920	6 February 1973	Poet
Bhim Nidhi Tiwari	Nepal	1911	1973	Poet	Dagbatti
J. R. R. Tolkien	Vereinigtes Königreich	3 January 1892	2 September 1973	Autor	J. R. R. Tolkien bibliography
Valentin Tomberg	Russian Empire	26 February 1900	24 February 1973	Mystic	Meditations on the Tarot
Âşık Veysel	Türkei	25 October 1894	21 March 1973	Composer
Alan Watts	Vereinigtes Königreich	6 January 1915	16 November 1973	Philosopher	Alan Watts bibliography

Countries with life + 80 years

Spain has a copyright term of life + 80 years for creators that died before 1987. In Colombia and Equatorial Guinea a work enters the public domain 80 years after the creator's death.

Names	Land	Birth	Death	Occupation	Notable work
Carlos Arniches	Spanien	11 October 1866	16 April 1943	Playwright
Carmen Karr	Spanien	16 March 1865	29 December 1943	Activist, composer
Francisco Rodríguez Marín	Spanien	27 January 1855	9 June 1943	Poet
José Jurado de la Parra	Spanien	8 February 1856	21 July 1943	Poet, playwright
Guillermo Valencia	Kolumbien	29 October 1873	8 July 1943	Poet, translator

Australia and Canada

See also: Copyright law of Australia and Copyright law of Canada

In 2004 copyright in Australia changed from a "plus 50" law to a "plus 70" law, in line with the United States and the European Union. But the change was not made retroactive (unlike the 1995 change in the European Union which brought some e.g. British authors back into copyright, especially those who died from 1925 to 1944). Hence the work of an author who died before 1955 is normally in the public domain in Australia; but the copyright of authors was extended to 70 years after death for those who died in 1955 or later, and no more Australian authors will come out of copyright until 1 January 2026 (those who died in 1955).

Similarly, Canada amended its Copyright Act in 2022 from a "plus 50" law to a "plus 70" law, coming into force on December 30, 2022, but not reviving expired copyright. No more new authors will come out of copyright in Canada until 1 January 2043 (those who died in 1972). Crown copyright was not changed, thus works published in 1973 entered the public domain in 2024.

Vereinigte Staaten

See also: Public domain in the United States and 2024 in American public domain

Sound recordings that were published in 1923 entered the public domain.

One of the most notable works which entered the public domain in 2024 is Steamboat Willie. The Walt Disney Company had previously lobbied for the extension of copyright length in the United States in order to prevent the short film and its characters—including Mickey Mouse—from entering the public domain. The result of that lobby effort was the Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998.

Under the Copyright Term Extension Act, books published in 1928, films released in 1928, and other works published in 1928, entered the public domain in 2024. Unpublished works whose authors died in 1953 entered the public domain.

The earliest incarnations of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse entered the public domain work in 2024 through Steamboat Willie and the silent versions of Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho. The sound versions of the latter two shorts will enter the public domain in 2025. The House at Pooh Corner by A. A. Milne, including the character Tigger, entered the public domain in 2024. Notable films which entered the public domain in the United States include Abie's Irish Rose, Charlie Chaplin's The Circus, Buster Keaton's The Cameraman, In Old Arizona, The Man Who Laughs, Noah's Ark, The Passion of Joan of Arc, Lights of New York, The Singing Fool, and Harold Lloyd's final silent feature, Speedy.

Additional notable works which entered the public domain in the United States include Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence, Orlando: A Biography by Virginia Woolf, The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall, Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág, Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh, The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie, Story of the Eye by Georges Bataille, The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht, and An American in Paris by George Gershwin.

See also

• 1953 in literature and 1973 in literature for deaths of writers
• Public Domain Day
• Creative Commons

External links

• "Authors by Year of Death – 1953". AuthorAndBookInfo.com.
• Popular Books of 1928 at Goodreads
• Public Domain Day 2024 at the Center for the Study of the Public Domain, Duke University School of Law