2021 in public domain

{{Short description|Overview of works entering public domain}}

When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of creators whose works entered the public domain in 2021. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.

Entering the public domain in countries with life + 70 years

With the exception of Belarus (where the copyright protection is life + 50 years)[https://archive.today/20050321142536/http://www.wipo.int/clea/docs_new/en/by/by003en.html Law 194-3 of 11 August 1998]{{rp|Art. 22(1)}} 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 For previously unpublished material, those who publish it first will have the publication rights for 25 years. The list is sorted alphabetically and includes a notable work of the creator that entered the public domain on 1 January 2021.

class="wikitable sortable" border="1" style="border-spacing:0 style="width:100%"

!Names

!Country

!Birth

!Death

!Occupation

!Notable work

Octave-Louis Aubert

| {{flag|France}}

| {{dts|1870|01|08|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|01|14|format=dmy}}

| Writer, journalist

| Le Livre de la Bretagne

Irving Bacheller

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1859|09|26|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|02|24|format=dmy}}

| Writer, journalist

| Eben Holden

Sergei Bakhrushin

| {{flag|Russia}}

| {{dts|1882|10|08|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|03|08|format=dmy}}

| Historian

|

Miklós Bánffy

| {{flag|Hungary}}

| {{dts|1873|12|30|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|06|05|format=dmy}}

| Nobleman, politician, writer

| A Transylvanian Tale

Pavel Bazhov

| {{flag|Russia}}

| {{dts|1879|01|27|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|12|3|format=dmy}}

| Writer

| The Malachite Box

Max Beckmann

| {{flag|Germany}}

| {{dts|1884|02|12|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|12|27|format=dmy}}

| Painter, draftsman, printmaker, sculptor

|

William Rose Benét

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1886|02|02|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|05|04|format=dmy}}

| Writer, poet, editor

| Saturday Review of Literature, The Reader's Encyclopedia

Lev Berg

| {{flag|Russia}}

| {{dts|1876|3|14|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|12|24|format=dmy}}

| Geographer, biologist and ichthyologist

|

Ben Black

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1889|12|11|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|12|26|format=dmy}}

| Composer, lyricist

| "Moonlight and Roses"

Léon Blum

| {{flag|France}}

| {{dts|1872|4|9|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|3|30|format=dmy}}

| Politician

| Les Problèmes de la Paix

{{interlanguage link|Ambrogio Bollati|it}}

| {{flag|Italy}}

| {{dts|1871|11|26|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|03|26|format=dmy}}

| General, Historian

| Works

D. K. Broster

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1877|09|02|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|02|07|format=dmy}}

| Novelist

| The Flight of the Heron

Herbert Ashwin Budd

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1881

|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950

|format=dmy}}

| Painter

|

Joe Burke

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1884|03|18|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|06|09|format=dmy}}

| Songwriter, Composer, pianist

| "Dancing With Tears in My Eyes", "Painting the Clouds With Sunshine", "Rambling Rose", "Tip-Toe Through the Tulips"

Edgar Rice Burroughs

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1875|09|01|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|03|19|format=dmy}}

| Author of adventure and science fiction

| Tarzan and Barsoom

J. Carlos

| {{flag|Brazil}}

| {{dts|1884|07|18|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|10|02|format=dmy}}

| Cartoonist, illustrator, graphic designer, sculptor

|

Basilio Cascella

| {{flag|Italy}}

| {{dts|1860|10|02|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|07|24|format=dmy}}

| Artist

| {{interlanguage link|Il bagno della pastora|it}}

Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao

| {{flag|Spain}}

| {{dts|1886|1|29|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|1|7|format=dmy}}

| Painter

|

Neville William Cayley

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1886|1|7|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|3|17|format=dmy}}

| Ornithologist & artist

| "What Bird is That?", 1931

Francesco Cilea

| {{flag|Italy}}

| {{dts|1866|07|26|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|11|20|format=dmy}}

| Composer

| L'arlesiana and Adriana Lecouvreur

Leôncio Correia (pt)

| {{flag|Brazil}}

| {{dts|1865|01|01|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|06|19|format=dmy}}

| Lawyer, politician, writer and journalist

|

Erle Cox

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1873|08|15|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|11|20|format=dmy}}

| Journalist and science fiction writer

| Out of the Silence

Walter Damrosch

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1862|01|30|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|12|22|format=dmy}}

| Composer

|

Frank Parker Day

| {{flag|Canada}}

| {{dts|1881|05|09|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|07|30|format=dmy}}

| Author and academic

|

Warwick Deeping

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1877|05|28|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|04|20|format=dmy}}

| Author

| Sorrell and Son

Buddy DeSylva

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1895|01|27|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|07|11|format=dmy}}

| Songwriter

| Avalon, Look For the Silver Lining, Somebody Loves Me

Edward d'Evry

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1869|06|06|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|12|25|format=dmy}}

| Composer

|

Lancelot de Mole

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1880|3|12|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|5|6|format=dmy}}

| Engineer & inventor

| Tracked armoured vehicle, 1911

Clément Doucet

| {{flag|Belgium}}

| {{dts|1895|04|09|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|10|15|format=dmy}}

| Composer, pianist

|

Anatoly Drozdov (ru)

| {{flag|Russia}}

| {{dts|1883|11|04|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|09|10|format=dmy}}

| Composer, pianist

|

Theodor Duesterberg

| {{flag|Germany}}

| {{dts|1875|10|19|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|11|4|format=dmy}}

| Politician

| The Steel Helmet and Hitler

Walter Eucken

| {{flag|Germany}}

| {{dts|1891|1|17|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|3|20|format=dmy}}

| Economist

| Works

Percy Keese Fitzhugh

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1876|09|07|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|07|05|format=dmy}}

| Author of children and young adult literature

|

Yevgeny Gunst

| {{flag|Russia}}

| {{dts|1877|06|07|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|01|30|format=dmy}}

| Composer

|

John Gould Fletcher

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1886|01|03|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|05|10|format=dmy}}

| Poet

| Selected Poems

Ernest Haycox

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1899|10|01|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|10|13|format=dmy}}

| Author of Western fiction

|

John Rippiner Heath

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1887|01|04|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|12|23|format=dmy}}

| Doctor, musician, composer

| Three Macedonian Sketches

William Hovgaard

| {{flag|Denmark}}
{{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1857|11|28|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|01|05|format=dmy}}

| Professor, Writer

| Submarine Boats, The Voyages Of The Norsemen To America

Heydar Huseynov

| {{flag|Azerbaijan}}

| {{dts|1908|04|03|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|08|15|format=dmy}}

| Philosopher

| Dialectical Materialism

Rex Ingram

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1892|01|15|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|07|02|format=dmy}}

| Film director, producer, writer and actor

| The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Prisoner of Zenda

George Cecil Ives

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1867|10|01|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|06|04|format=dmy}}

| Writer, penal reformer

| English Prisons Today

Émile Jaques-Dalcroze

| {{flag|Switzerland}}

| {{dts|1865|07|06|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|07|01|format=dmy}}

| Composer, music educator

|

Johannes V. Jensen

| {{flag|Denmark}}

| {{dts|1873|01|20|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|11|25|format=dmy}}

| Author

| The Long Journey

Charles L. Johnson

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1876|12|03|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|12|28|format=dmy}}

| Composer

|

Al Jolson

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1886|05|26|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|10|23|format=dmy}}

| Songwriter

|

Eddie Kilfeather

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1900|04|05|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|01|13|format=dmy}}

| Composer

|

Alfred Korzybski

| {{flag|Russian Empire}}
{{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1879|07|03|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|03|01|format=dmy}}

| Engineer and founder of Institute of General Semantics

| Science and Sanity: An Introduction to Non-Aristotelian Systems and General Semantics

Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky

| {{flag|Russia}}

| {{dts|1887|02|11|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|12|28|format=dmy}}

| Writer

|

Harold Laski

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1893|06|30|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|03|24|format=dmy}}

| Political theorist, economist

| A Grammar of Politics

Harry Lauder

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1870|08|04|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|02|26|format=dmy}}

| Comedian, Singer/songwriter

| Roamin' in the Gloamin'

Lilian Sophia Locke

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1869|6|6|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|7|1|format=dmy}}

| Suffragette & Trade-unionist

| Secretary of the United Council for Woman's Suffrage, 1890s

Heinrich Mann

| {{flag|Germany}}

| {{dts|1871|03|27|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|03|11|format=dmy}}

| Writer

| Professor Unrat

Edgar Lee Masters

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1868|08|23|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|03|05|format=dmy}}

| Writer

| Spoon River Anthology

F. O. Matthiessen

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1902|02|19|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|04|01|format=dmy}}

| literary critic

| American Renaissance: Art and Expression in the Age of Emerson and Whitman

Marcel Mauss

| {{flag|France}}

| {{dts|1872|05|10|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|02|10|format=dmy}}

| Sociologist

| The Gift

Ernest John Moeran

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1894|12|31|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|12|01|format=dmy}}

| Composer

|

Alfred Edward Moffat

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1863|12|04|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|06|06|format=dmy}}

| Composer, collector of music

| Meister-Schule der alten Zeit

Edna St Vincent Millay

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1892|02|22|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|10|19|format=dmy}}

| Poet, playwright

| Renascence

Ali Moustafa Mosharafa

| {{flag|Egypt}}

| {{dts|1898|07|11|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|01|16|format=dmy}}

| Theoretical physicist

|

Lewis Muir

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1881

|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|01|19|format=dmy}}

| Songwriter

| Ragtime Cowboy Joe

Pavel Muratov

| {{flag|Russia}}

| {{dts|1881|03|03|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|02|05|format=dmy}}

| Writer, art historian

| Images of Italy

Nikolai Myaskovsky

| {{flag|Russia}}

| {{dts|1881|04|20|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|08|08|format=dmy}}

| Composer

| Symphony No. 6 (Myaskovsky)

Vaslav Nijinsky

| {{flag|Russia}}

| {{dts|1889|3|12|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|4|8|format=dmy}}

| Ballet dancer and choreographer

| Diary

George Orwell

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1903|06|25|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|01|21|format=dmy}}

| Journalist and author

| Animal Farm, Nineteen Eighty-Four also see George Orwell bibliography

Cesare Pavese

| {{flag|Italy}}

| {{dts|1908|09|09|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|08|27|format=dmy}}

| Writer, translator

| The Moon and the Bonfires

Max Pemberton

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1863|06|19|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|02|22|format=dmy}}

| Novelist of adventure and mystery literature

|

Octávio Pinto

| {{flag|Brazil}}

| {{dts|1890|11|03|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1944|10|31|format=dmy}}

| Composer, architect

|

Ernest Poole

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1880|01|23|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|01|10|format=dmy}}

| Writer

| His Family

Gustaf John Ramstedt

| {{flag|Russian Empire}}
{{flag|Finland}}

| {{dts|1873|10|22|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|11|25|format=dmy}}

| Explorer, linguist, diplomat

| Seitsemän retkeä itään

R. R. Ryan

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1882|12|14|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|10|18|format=dmy}}

| Author

|

Eliel Saarinen

| {{flag|Russian Empire}}
{{flag|Finland}}
{{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1873|08|20|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|07|01|format=dmy}}

| Architect

| Works

Rafael Sabatini

| {{flag|Italy|1861}}
{{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1875|04|29|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|02|13|format=dmy}}

| Writer

| The Sea Hawk, Scaramouche, The Odissey of Captain Blood, Bellarion the Fortunate

Theophrastos Sakellaridis

| {{flag|Greece}}

| {{dts|1883|09|07|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|01|02|format=dmy}}

| Composer, conductor

| Ο Βαφτιστικός

Guðjón Samúelsson

| {{flag|Iceland}}

| {{dts|1887|04|16|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|04|25|format=dmy}}

| Architect

| Hallgrímskirkja, National Theatre of Iceland, Akureyrarkirkja

Joseph Schumpeter

| {{flag|Austria}}

| {{dts|1883|02|08|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|01|08|format=dmy}}

| Economist

| Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy

Milton Schwarzwald

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1891|09|16|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|03|02|format=dmy}}

| Director, composer

|

George Bernard Shaw

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}
{{flag|Ireland}}

| {{dts|1856|07|26|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|11|02|format=dmy}}

| Writer

| Man and Superman, Pygmalion, Saint Joan

Adaline Shepherd

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1883|08|19|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|03|12|format=dmy}}

| Composer

|

Forrest Shreve

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1878|07|08|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|07|19|format=dmy}}

| Botanist

| Works

Martinus Sieveking

| {{flag|Netherlands}}

| {{dts|1867|03|24|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|11|26|format=dmy}}

| Composer, music teacher

|

Jan Smuts

| {{flag|South Africa}}

| {{dts|1870|05|24|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|09|11|format=dmy}}

| Statesman, military leader, and philosopher

| Holism and Evolution

John M. Stahl

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1886|01|21|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|01|12|format=dmy}}

| Film Director and Producer

| Father Was a Fullback

Olaf Stapledon

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1886|05|10|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|09|06|format=dmy}}

| Philosopher and science fiction author

| Star Maker, Last and First Men and Odd John

Henry L. Stimson

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1867|09|21|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|10|20|format=dmy}}

| Politician

| Democracy And Nationalism In Europe

Tatiana Sukhotina-Tolstaya

| {{flag|Russia}}

| {{dts|1864|10|4|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|9|21|format=dmy}}

| Painter and memoirist

|

Attilio Teruzzi

| {{flag|Italy}}

| {{dts|1882|5|5|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|4|26|format=dmy}}

| Politician

| Cirenaica Verde

Trilussa

| {{flag|Italy}}

| {{dts|1871|10|26|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|12|21|format=dmy}}

| Poet

| Works

Orhan Veli Kanık

| {{flag|Turkey}}

| {{dts|1914|04|14|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|11|14|format=dmy}}

| Poet

| Garip, Collected Poems

Xavier Villaurrutia

| {{flag|Mexico}}

| {{dts|1903|3|27|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|12|25|format=dmy}}

| Poet, Playwright

| Works

Archibald P. Wavell

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1883|05|05|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|05|24|format=dmy}}

| General

| Generals And Generalship

Kurt Weill

| {{flag|Germany}}

| {{dts|1900|3|2|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|4|3|format=dmy}}

| Composer

| The Threepenny Opera

Yi Gwangsu

| {{flag|South Korea}}

| {{dts|1892|02|01|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|10|25|format=dmy}}

| Writer, independence activist

| Heartless

Entering the public domain in countries with life + 80 years

Spain (for creators that died before 1987), Colombia and Equatorial Guinea have a copyright term of life + 80 years. The list is sorted alphabetically and includes one notable work that entered the public domain on 1 January 2021 for each creator.

class="wikitable sortable" border="1" style="border-spacing:0 style="width:100%"

|+List of authors

!Names

!Country

!Birth

!Death

!Occupation

!Notable work

J.-H. Rosny aîné

|{{flag|France}}

|{{dts|1856|2|17|format=dmy}}

|{{dts|1940|2|11|format=dmy}}

|Writer

|The Quest for Fire

{{interlanguage link|Xerardo Álvarez Limeses|es}}

|{{flag|Spain}}

|1871

|1940

|Teacher, writer

|

Manuel Azaña

|{{flag|Spain}}

|1880

|1940

|Politician, political writer, Prime Minister

|

Julián Besteiro

|{{flag|Spain}}

|21 September 1870

|27 September 1940

|

|

E. F. Benson

|{{flag|United Kingdom}}

|{{dts|1867|7|24|format=dmy}}

|{{dts|1940|2|29|format=dmy}}

|Writer, archaeologist

|Mapp and Lucia

Mikhail Bulgakov

|{{flag|Russia}}

|{{dts|1891|5|15|format=dmy}}

|{{dts|1940|3|10|format=dmy}}

|Writer, playwright, medical doctor

|The Master and Margarita

{{interlanguage link|Rafael Flores Nieto|es|El Piyayo}}

|{{flag|Spain}}

|1 May 1864

|25 November 1940

|Flamenco singer and guitarist

|

Philip Francis Nowlan

|{{flag|United States}}

|{{dts|1888|11|13|format=dmy}}

|{{dts|1940|2|1|format=dmy}}

|Writer

|Armageddon 2419 A.D.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

|{{flag|United States}}

|{{dts|1896|09|24|format=dmy}}

|{{dts|1940|12|21|format=dmy}}

|Novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and short-story writer

|This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and Damned, The Great Gatsby and Tender Is the Night

{{interlanguage link|Carlos Gómez Carrera|es}}

|{{flag|Spain}}

|1903 or 1907

|28 June 1940

|Cartoonist

|

{{interlanguage link|Antonio de Hoyos y Vinent|es}}

|{{flag|Spain}}

|1884

|1940

|Playwright

| Bibliography

Louis J. Panella

|{{flag|United States}}

|{{dts|1881

|format=dmy}}

|{{dts|1940|03|03|format=dmy}}

|Composer

|

{{interlanguage link|Enrique Peinador|es}}

|{{flag|Spain}}

|1880

|1940

|Businessman

|

{{interlanguage link|Indalecio Varela Lenzano|es}}

|{{flag|Spain}}

|1856

|1940

|Musicologist, music critic

|

María Vinyals

|{{flag|Spain}}

|1875

|1940

|Publicist, essayist

|

Countries with life + 60 years

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

class="wikitable sortable" border="1" style="border-spacing:0; style="width:100%;"

!Names

!Country

!Birth

!Death

!Occupation

!Notable work

Vai. Mu. Kothainayaki Ammal

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1901|12|01|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1960|02|20|format=dmy}}

| Novelist

|

Rajshekhar Basu

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1880|03|16|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1960|04|27|format=dmy}}

| Chemist

|

A. Chakravarti

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1880|05|17|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1960|02|10|format=dmy}}

| Professor

|

Indira Devi Chaudhurani

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1873|12|29|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1960|08|12|format=dmy}}

| Musician

|

Sudhindranath Dutta

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1901|10|30|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1960|06|25|format=dmy}}

| Poet, journalist

|

M. Raghava Iyengar

| {{flag|India}}

| 1870

| 1960

| Literary scholar

|

Jigar Moradabadi

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1890|04|06|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1960|09|09|format=dmy}}

| Poet

| Yeh Hai Maikada

Bal Krishna Sharma Naveen

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1897|12|08|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1960|04|29|format=dmy}}

| Poet, journalist, activist

|

Kesari Balakrishna Pillai

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1889|04|23|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1960|12|18|format=dmy}}

| Literary critic, journalist

| Kesari

Nathuram Premi

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1881|01|26|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1960|01|30|format=dmy}}

| Poet, publisher

|

Navaratna Rama Rao

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1877|05|27|format=dmy}}

| 1960

| Political leader, scholar

|

Sushila Samad

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1996|06|07|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1960|12|10|format=dmy}}

| Poet, journalist

|

Govind Sakharam Sardesai

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1865|05|17|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1959|11|21|format=dmy}}

| Historian

|

Sripada Krishnamurty Sastry

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1866|10|29|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1960|12|29|format=dmy}}

| Poet

| Mahamahopadhyaya

Kshitimohan Sen

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1880|12|02|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1960|03|12|format=dmy}}

| Professor

|

Acharya Chatursen Shastri

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1891|08|26|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1960|02|02|format=dmy}}

| Writer

| Dharamputra

Krishnalal Shridharani

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1911|09|16|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1960|07|23|format=dmy}}

| Poet, playwright

|

C. J. Thomas

| {{flag|India}}

| {{dts|1918|11|14|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1960|07|14|format=dmy}}

| Playwright, academic, artist

|

Entering the public domain in countries with life + 50 years

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

class="wikitable sortable" border="1" style="border-spacing:0 style="width:100%"

!Names

!Country

!Birth

!Death

!Occupation

!Notable work

Abdul Hosein Amini

| {{flag|Iran}}

| 1902

| {{dts|1970|07|03|format=dmy}}

| Theologian

| Al-Ghadir

Rita Angus

|{{flag|New Zealand}}

|12 March 1908

|25 January 1970

|Painter

|Cass

Shmuel Yosef Agnon

| {{flag|Israel}}

| {{dts|1888|07|17|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|02|17|format=dmy}}

| Writer

| The Bridal Canopy

Fernando Arbello

| {{flag|Puerto Rico}}

| {{dts|1907|05|30|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|07|26|format=dmy}}

| Musician

|

Otto Baecker

| {{flag|Germany}}

| {{dts|1898|01|07|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|05|22|format=dmy}}

| Cinematographer

| Gold

Archibald Baxter

|{{flag|New Zealand}}

|13 December 1881

|10 August 1970

|Socialist, pacifist

|We Will Not Cease

William Beaudine

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1892|01|15|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|03|18|format=dmy}}

| Film director, actor

| Boys Will Be Boys

George Blair

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1905|12|06|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|04|19|format=dmy}}

| Film Director

|

R. V. C. Bodley

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1892|03|03|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|05|26|format=dmy}}

| Army officer, author

| Algeria From Within

Louise Bogan

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1897|08|11|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|02|04|format=dmy}}

| Poet

| Body of This Death

Vera Brittain

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1893|12|29|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|03|29|format=dmy}}

| Writer

| Testament of Youth

William J. Brown

| {{flag|United States}}

|

| {{dts|1970

|format=dmy}}

| Architect

|

Mohamed Fadhel Ben Achour

| {{flag|Tunisia}}

| {{dts|1909|10|16|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|04|20|format=dmy}}

| Theologian

| Works

Dulce Carman

|{{flag|New Zealand}}

|1883

|1970

|Author

|Neath the Maori Moon

Rudolf Carnap

| {{flag|Germany}}

| {{dts|1891|05|18|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|09|14|format=dmy}}

| Philosopher

| Der Logische Aufbau der Welt

{{interlanguage link|Émile Coderre|fr}}

| {{flag|Canada}}

| {{dts|1893|06|10|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|04|06|format=dmy}}

| Poet

| Works

Charles Cotton (geologist)

|{{flag|New Zealand}}

|24 February 1885

|29 June 1970

|Geologist

|Geomorphology of New Zealand

Mohamed Abdelaziz Djaït

| {{flag|Tunisia}}

| 1886

| {{dts|1970|01|05|format=dmy}}

| Theologian

| Works

William Dobell

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1899|09|24|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|05|13|format=dmy}}

| Artist

| Mr Joshua Smith

Guy Endore

|{{flag|United States}}

|{{dts|1901|7|4|format=dmy}}

|{{dts|1970|2|12|format=dmy}}

|Author, screenwriter

|The Werewolf of Paris

E. M. Forster

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1879|01|01|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|06|07|format=dmy}}

| Writer

| Works

Babbis Friis-Baastad

| {{flag|Norway}}

| {{dts|1921|08|21|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|01|10|format=dmy}}

| Children's writer

| Ikke ta Bamse

Erle Stanley Gardner

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1889|07|17|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|03|11|format=dmy}}

| Author, lawyer

| Perry Mason series of books

Maurice Gemayel

| {{flag|Lebanon}}

| 1910

| {{dts|1970|10|31|format=dmy}}

| Politician

| Tripoli and Decentralization

L. Wolfe Gilbert

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1886|08|31|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|07|12|format=dmy}}

| Songwriter

| Down Yonder

Rube Goldberg

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1883|07|04|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|12|07|format=dmy}}

| Cartoonist, News reporter, Sculptor, Engineer

|

John Gunther

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1901|08|30|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|05|29|format=dmy}}

| Author

| Death Be Not Proud

Muhsin al-Hakim

| {{flag|Iraq}}

| 1889

| 1970

| Theologian

| Minhaj as-Saleheen

Alice Hamilton

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1869|02|27|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|09|22|format=dmy}}

| Physician, research scientist

| Industrial Poisons in the United States

Lawren Harris

| {{flag|Canada}}

| {{dts|1885|10|23|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|01|29|format=dmy}}

| Painter

|

Marlen Haushofer

| {{flag|Austria}}

| {{dts|1920|04|11|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|03|21|format=dmy}}

| Writer

|

Erich Heckel

| {{flag|Germany}}

| {{dts|1883|07|31|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|01|27|format=dmy}}

| Artist

| Roquairol

Jimi Hendrix

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1942|11|27|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|09|18|format=dmy}}

| Musician, singer-songwriter

| "Purple Haze"

Roman Ingarden

| {{flag|Poland}}

| {{dts|1893|02|05|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|06|14|format=dmy}}

| Philosopher

| The Literary Work of Art

Michał Kalecki

| {{flag|Poland}}

| {{dts|1899|06|22|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|04|18|format=dmy}}

| Economist

| Próba teorii koniunktury

William Archibald Mackintosh

| {{flag|Canada}}

| {{dts|1895|05|21|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|12|29|format=dmy}}

| Economist

| Economic Problems Of The Prairie Provinces

Leopoldo Marechal

| {{flag|Argentina}}

| {{dts|1900|06|11|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|06|26|format=dmy}}

| Writer

| Adam Buenosayres

François Mauriac

| {{flag|France}}

| {{dts|1885|10|11|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|09|01|format=dmy}}

| Writer

| Thérèse Desqueyroux

Bruce McLaren

|{{flag|New Zealand}}

|30 August 1937

|2 June 1970

|Racing car driver

|Bruce McLaren: From the Cockpit

Yukio Mishima

| {{flag|Japan}}

| {{dts|1925|1|14|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|11|25|format=dmy}}

| Novelist, playwright, poet, writer, essayist, critic

| Works

Gamal Abdel Nasser

| {{flag|Egypt}}

| {{dts|1918|1|15|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|9|28|format=dmy}}

| Politician

| Philosophy of Revolution

Charles Olson

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1910|12|27|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|01|10|format=dmy}}

| Poet

| Works

John Dos Passos

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1896|01|14|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|09|28|format=dmy}}

| Novelist

| U.S.A. trilogy

Waldo Peirce

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1884|12|17|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|03|08|format=dmy}}

| Painter

| Legends of the Hudson

Vladimir Propp

| {{flag|Russia}}

| {{dts|1895|04|29|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|08|22|format=dmy}}

| Folklorist

| Morphology of the Tale

Alf Prøysen

| {{flag|Norway}}

| {{dts|1914|07|23|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|11|23|format=dmy}}

| Musician, Writer, Composer

| Works

Erich Maria Remarque

| {{flag|Germany}}

| {{dts|1898|06|22|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|09|25|format=dmy}}

| Novelist

| All Quiet on the Western Front

Ali Riahi

| {{flag|Tunisia}}

| {{dts|1912|03|30|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|03|27|format=dmy}}

| Musician

|

Gonzalo Roig

| {{flag|Cuba}}

| {{dts|1890|07|20|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|06|13|format=dmy}}

| Composer

| Cecilia Valdés

Mark Rothko

|{{flag|United States}}

|25 September 1903

|25 February 1970

|Abstract painter

|Black on Maroon

Bertrand Russell

| {{flag|United Kingdom}}

| {{dts|1872|05|18|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|02|02|format=dmy}}

| Philosopher, mathematician

| Principia Mathematica

Nelly Sachs

| {{flag|German Empire}}
{{flag|Sweden}}

| {{dts|1891|10|10|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|05|12|format=dmy}}

| Poet, Writer

| Works

Ruth Sawyer

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1880|08|05|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|06|03|format=dmy}}

| Writer

| Roller Skates

Slim Harpo

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1924|01|11|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|01|31|format=dmy}}

| Blues Musician

| I'm a King Bee

William Stewart Wallace

| {{flag|Canada}}

| {{dts|1884|06|23|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|03|11|format=dmy}}

| Historian

| Encyclopedia of Canada

Hassan Taqizadeh

| {{flag|Iran}}

| {{dts|1878|09|27|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|01|28|format=dmy}}

| Politician

| Old Iranian Calendars

Sophie Treadwell

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1885|10|03|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|02|20|format=dmy}}

| Playwright

| Machinal

Jacob Viner

| {{flag|Canada}}

| {{dts|1892|05|03|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|09|12|format=dmy}}

| Economist

| Works

Otto Heinrich Warburg

| {{flag|Germany}}

| {{dts|1883|10|08|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|08|01|format=dmy}}

| Physiologist

| The Metabolism of Tumours

Leonard Wild

|{{flag|New Zealand}}

|28 October 1889

|23 July 1970

|Agricultural scientist, writer

|An Experiment in Self-government, Soils and Manures in New Zealand

Harry M. Woods

| {{flag|United States}}

| {{dts|1896|11|04|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|01|14|format=dmy}}

| Songwriter

| When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along)

Abraham Zapruder

|{{flag|United States}}

|15 May 1905

|30 August 1970

|Clothing manufacturer

|Zapruder film

Mahmoud Zulfikar

| {{flag|Egypt}}

| {{dts|1914|02|18|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1970|05|22|format=dmy}}

| Director

|

Entering the public domain in Australia

{{See also|Copyright law of Australia}}

In 2004 copyright in Australia changed from a "plus 50" law to a "plus 70" law, in line with America and the European Union. However, the change was not made retroactive (unlike the 1995 change in the European Union which brought the works of those who died from 1925 to 1944 back into copyright). 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 would come out of copyright until 1 January 2026 (those who died in 1955).

Unpublished works by authors who died in 1950 entered the public domain.{{cite web|title=New copyright duration changes coming|url=https://www.communications.gov.au/departmental-news/new-copyright-duration-changes-coming|website=Australian Government-Department of Communications & The Arts|accessdate=23 April 2018}} Any published literary, artistic, dramatic, or musical work (other than computer programs) by a not generally known author (anonymous or pseudonymous) from 1950 also entered the public domain.

class="wikitable sortable" border="1" style="border-spacing:0 style="width:100%"

!Names

!Country

!Birth

!Death

!Occupation

!Notable work

Cyril Tenison White

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1890|8|17|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|8|16|format=dmy}}

| Botanist/Explorer

|Made significant contributions to knowledge of the flora of Queensland and northern New South Wales, and was regarded as an authority on tropical plants.

Erle Cox

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1873|8|17|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|11|20|format=dmy}}

| Writer

|"Out of the Silence"

Dame Mary Cook

| {{flag|Australia}}

| 1863

| {{dts|1950|9|24|format=dmy}}

| Social Work

| Vice President of the "War Chest Society" and President of the "Parramatta Branch of the Red Cross Society"

Frank Brennan

| {{flag|Australia}}

| 1873

| {{dts|1950|11|6|format=dmy}}

| Politician

| Noted Pacifist

Ted Colson

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1881|6|3|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|2|27|format=dmy}}

| Anthropologist

| Crossing of the Simpson Desert

Ian Morrison

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1913|5|13|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|8|12|format=dmy}}

| Journalist

| "This War against Japan : Thoughts on the Present Conflict in the Far East" 1944

Andrew Oswald Wilson

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1866|10|12|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|6|19|format=dmy}}

| Architect

| Boulder Town Hall

George Ainsworth

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1878|10|20|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|10|11|format=dmy}}

| Meteorologist & photographer

| Leader of the Macquarie Island party of the Australian Antarctic Expedition, December 1911 to November 1913

Neville William Cayley

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1886|1|7|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|3|17|format=dmy}}

| Ornithologist & artist

| "What Bird is That?", 1931

Lilian Sophia Locke

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1869|6|6|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|7|1|format=dmy}}

| Suffragette & Trade-unionist

| Secretary of the United Council for Woman's Suffrage, 1890s

Lancelot de Mole

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1880|3|12|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|5|6|format=dmy}}

| Engineer & inventor

| Tracked armoured vehicle, 1911

Ada May Plante

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1876|10|4|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|7|3|format=dmy}}

| Painter

| Founding exhibitor at Pioneering Post-Impressionist Melbourne Contemporary Group, 1932

Beaumont Smith

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1885|8|15|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|1|2|format=dmy}}

| Film director

| "Our Friends the Hayseeds", 1917

Horace Stevens

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1876|10|27|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|11|18|format=dmy}}

| Opera singer

| Samuel Coleridge Taylor's "Hiawatha" London premiere, 1924

Clas Edvard Friström

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1864|1|26|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|3|27|format=dmy}}

| Painter

| Exhibited 53 paintings with the Queensland Art Society, 1899-1902

Constance Elizabeth Darcy

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1879|6|1|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|4|25|format=dmy}}

| Gynaecologist

| Member of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London

Gustavus Athol Waterhouse

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1877|5|21|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|7|29|format=dmy}}

| Entomologist

| "The butterflies of Australia", 1914 and "What butterfly is that? A guide to the butterflies of Australia", 1932

Alexandrine Seager

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1870|11|10|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|3|12|format=dmy}}

| Businessperson

| Founded the Cheer-Up Society to provide comfort and entertainment for World War One soldiers

Ted Theodore

| {{flag|Australia}}

| {{dts|1884|12|28|format=dmy}}

| {{dts|1950|2|9|format=dmy}}

| Politician

| State president, Queensland Australian Workers' Union

Entering the public domain in the United States

{{See also|Public domain in the United States}}

File:The Great Gatsby Cover 1925 Retouched.jpg entered the public domain in the US in 2021.]]

Under the Copyright Term Extension Act,

books published in 1925,

films released in 1925,

and other works published in 1925, entered the public domain in 2021.{{cite web |title=Copyright and the Public Domain |publisher=Public Domain Information Project |url=http://www.pdinfo.com/Copyright-Law/Copyright-Law.php |accessdate=2019-01-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801121535/http://www.pdinfo.com/Copyright-Law/Copyright-Law.php |archive-date=2014-08-01 |url-status=dead }} Additionally, unpublished works whose authors died in 1950 entered the public domain.

No sound recordings entered the public domain; under the Music Modernization Act, those published in 1925 will not enter the public domain until 2026.{{cite web |title=Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States |last=Hirtle |first=Peter B. |date=2020-01-03 |url=https://copyright.cornell.edu/publicdomain |accessdate=2020-12-08 |publisher=Cornell University Library Copyright Information Center}} However, all musical compositions published in 1925 entered the public domain in 2021.

Notable books that entered the public domain in 2021 in the United States include The Great Gatsby, Mrs Dalloway, the original German-language version of The Trial, An American Tragedy, The Secret of Chimneys, In Our Time, and Arrowsmith.{{cite web |url=https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2021/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231230451/https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2021/ |title=Public Domain Day 2021 |last=Jenkins |first=Jennifer |website=Center for the Study of the Public Domain |publisher=Duke University |date=December 12, 2020 |archive-date=December 31, 2020 |access-date=January 3, 2022 |url-status=live}}

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

Further reading

  • {{citation |url=https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2021/ |title=Public Domain Day 2021 |author=Jennifer Jenkins |publisher=Duke Law School Center for the Study of the Public Domain |location=US |date=December 2020 }}
  • {{citation |url=http://blog.archive.org/2020/12/15/1925-public-domain-riches/ |title=January 1st brings public domain riches from 1925 |date= December 15, 2020 |author= Alexis Rossi |work=Archive.org |location=US }}