Each January since 2019, a fresh batch of previously copyrighted works becomes part of the public domain—a result of the expiration of their 95-year copyright term under the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act of 1998. As of 2025, creative works from 1929 such as literature, cinema, musical compositions, and art now reside in the public domain, allowing individuals and organizations to utilize them without the need for permissions or royalties.
The Duke University Center for the Study of the Public Domain has highlighted some notable additions, including seminal novels such as Ernest Hemingway’s Farewell to Arms, Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front in its first English translation, Agatha Christie’s The Seven Dials Mystery, Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own, and William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury.
This year’s filmic representatives include historical achievements like Warner Bros.’s On With the Show!, known as the first all-color feature-length film with sound, and early sound films from figures such as Cecil B. DeMille and Alfred Hitchcock. Additionally, Buster Keaton’s final silent piece, Spite Marriage, is now public, along with memorable musical hits like Singin’ in the Rain and Tiptoe Through the Tulips.
Disney’s early animations begin to join these public domain ranks; notably, the Silly Symphony short The Skeleton Dance and several 1920s Mickey Mouse shorts, including the first depictions of Mickey speaking and wearing his now-iconic white gloves, are accessible, distancing the cultural icons from more modern interpretations subject to copyright protections.
These entries into the public domain open the doors for new interpretations, adaptations, and scholarly interest, as creative works of past decades gain new life and exposure beyond the constraints of copyright laws.