2024 is fast approaching and with it comes a new batch of creative works entering the public domain, now free from the restrictive protection of copyright. This means that a new resurgence of adaptations or derivatives based on these characters, stories, and concepts will most likely follow, as it all essentially becomes "everybody's."
This is why everyone and their mothers, especially mothers, have their own version of the 'Lullaby' song by Johannes Brahms. However, as everything involving copyright goes, there are still some important caveats to be aware of. So... don't go too crazy in exploring the extent of it all.
But enough about that, right below is a list of five of the most exciting IPs entering the public domain next year.
16th December 1963: In a production staged by pupils of Blackwell Secondary School, of Harrow Weald, Middlesex, as their Christmas play, Peter Pan teaches the children to fly.
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
This might blow the socks off of some of you creatives, but yes, the world-famous 1928 theatrical play by J.M. Barrie, "Peter Pan" also known as "The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up," is entering into the public domain.
Although this was a long time coming since the original work first debuted back in 1904, the complexity of copyright law doesn't make everything as straightforward as that.
In this case, the reason for its late entrance to the public domain is that it wasn't formally published until 1928, and bearing the fact that the sole basis for a creative work's copyright lifespan in the US is its publication date.
To make matters worse, this public ownership is only available on this side of the globe, as its copyright is indefinite in the UK as per a special law passed within the country.
Just before Barrie's death, he bequeathed the work's copyright to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, which has since been the sole benefactor of the work, and in the UK, it will forever be the "owner" of "Peter Pan" due to the special law.
American animator and producer Walt Disney with one of his creations Mickey Mouse.
Mickey Mouse, 'Steamboat Willie' & 'Plane Crazy'
Yes, you've read that right, that "Mickey Mouse" is soon to be the public's next year. Well, as you've learned above, maybe not completely.
Responsible for Disney's multi-billion empire, this small charming character made his first movie appearances in the 1928 animations "Steamboat Willie" and "Plane Crazy," both of which are specifically entering the public domain.
Of course, the current Disney mega-conglomerate won't make it easy for would-be creatives who are hoping to use the famous mouse, especially because the company is known to be quite litigious when it comes to protecting their thousands of copyrights.
In addition to that, it will be very difficult to prove the possible "Mickey Mouse" adaptation to be solely adapted from the 1928 films, especially since the guidelines saying what is considered to be "just" those movies are still muddy.
Not to mention, that the "Mickey Mouse" character itself is still trademarked due to the Congress' update on copyright laws encompassing the character in 1997.
So, a new "Mickey Mouse: The Musical" that isn't made by Disney will probably not happen within the next year, or even the year after that. However, some artists somewhere might just be too tempted to be daunted by the impending legal action.
The Front Page by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur
The late American director Ben Hecht and playwright Charles MacArthur were responsible for the next creative work on this list. The 1928 theatrical play "The Front Page" is a comedic story surrounding rival newspaper reporters assigned the same news beat following Chicago's crime.
In 2016, the work was revived in a Broadway production that was headlined by Nathan Lane, best known for the 1996 movie "The Birdcage, and John Slattery, who gained notoriety in the hit AMC show "Mad Men."
However, "The Front Page" is best known for its multiple big-screen adaptations. In 1931 and 1974, analogous film iterations of the play hit movie theaters, with the latter being directed by Billy Wilder with performances from Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau.
Lastly, the play was also adapted into a 1940 film dubbed as "His Girl Friday," a derivative that otherwise focuses on the dynamic between a male editor character and his ex-wife, who happens to be a female news reporter.
Unlike the previous additions to this list, usage for this work is pretty straightforward. As long as the would-be derivative or adaptation is strictly based on the original 1928 play, without any lines or characters from the film versions, such usage will undeniably be considered well within the public domain guidelines.
Machinal by Sophie Tredwell
This 1928 play by Sophie Tredwell is more of a deep-cut than its contemporaries within this list. That said, the work is arguably ahead of its time with themes that revolve around the restrictive and sexist societal norms that pressure women into difficult lives.
Since its inaugural run decades ago, the play has also been adapted into TV shows numerous times and was even revived in an off-Broadway production. However, it has only been adapted in the mainstream theatrical scene with an adaptation by the Roundabout Theatre Company last 2014.
Other plays published the same year as "Machinal" was, in 1928, will also be falling into the public domain, and are even more of a deep-cut. This comprises R.C. Sherriff's "Journey's End," Philip Barry's "Holiday," Robert Nichols and Maurice Browne's "Wings Over Europe," and plenty more.
(Photo : OLIVER LANG/DDP/AFP via Getty Images)
Berlin, GERMANY: A picture taken 08 August 2006 in Berlin shows first-time actor Campino of the ex-punk band Die Toten Hosen (R) as Mack the Knife performing with Michael Kind (C) as Tiger Brown and Birgit Minichmayr as Polly (L) during a press rehearsal of Bertolt Brecht's "Three-penny Opera".
Berlin, GERMANY: A picture taken 08 August 2006 in Berlin shows first-time actor Campino of the ex-punk band Die Toten Hosen (R) as Mack the Knife performing with Michael Kind (C) as Tiger Brown and Birgit Minichmayr as Polly (L) during a press rehearsal of Bertolt Brecht's "Three-penny Opera".
The Threepenny Opera by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill
The last work entering the public domain in 2024 within this list is Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's collaborative work in "The Threepenny Opera," also known as "Die Dreigroschenoper" in its native country of Germany. More specifically, the original German musical is the one falling into public ownership.
However, this creative work is also among the tricky ones to adapt as the original version is seldom performed in the United States, mostly because translated versions of creative works themselves have their own copyrights.
Barring this language caveat, the play itself and its many songs, including the famous "Mack the Knife" musical number, will be part of the public domain soon. With this specific work, you'll need to be more careful in the version of the lyric you're using, so it is probably just much easier to make your own. In terms of its instrumental and orchestrations, everything is now fair game.
