When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of works that entered the public domain in 2010. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.

Entered the public domain in countries with life + 70 years

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With the exception of Belarus & 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.[1][2] The list is sorted alphabetically and includes a notable work of the creator that entered the public domain on January 1, 2010.

Names Country Birth Death Occupation Notable work
Margarete Böhme   Germany 8 May 1867 23 May 1939 novelist, short story writer Tagebuch einer Verlorenen
Solomon Cleaver   Canada 1855 1939 novelist Jean Val Jean
Ethel M. Dell   United Kingdom 2 August 1881 17 September 1939 romance novelist The Rocks of Valpré
Mary Frances Dowdall   United Kingdom 11 February 1876 1939 novelist Susie Yesterday, To-Day, and Forever,  ; Three Loving Ladies, The Tactless Man
Havelock Ellis   United Kingdom 2 February 1859 8 July 1939 medical textbook writer, eugenicist, psychologist Studies in the Psychology of Sex Vol. 2, A Study of British Genius
Ford Madox Ford   United Kingdom 17 December 1873 26 June 1939 novelist, poet The Good Soldier, Parade's End
Sigmund Freud   Austria 6 May 1856 23 September 1939 Neurologist and psychoanalyst Introduction to Psychoanalysis, The Psychopathology of Everyday Life, Civilization and Its Discontents
Ludwig Fulda   Germany 7 July 1862 7 March 1939 novelist, playwright, poet Der Seeräuber, Aladdin und die Wunderlampe
Agnes Giberne   India 19 November 1845 20 August 1939 children's writer, novelist, science writer Sun, Moon and Stars: Astronomy for Beginners, Among the Stars, or wonderful things in the sky
Zane Grey   United States 31 January 1872 23 October 1939 Western novelist Riders of the Purple Sage, The Rainbow Trail
Richard Halliburton   United States 9 January 1900 24 March 1939 travel writer The Royal Road to Romance, The Glorious Adventure
Robin Hyde   New Zealand 19 January 1906 23 August 1939 novelist, poet Passport to Hell, Check To Your King
Vladislav Khodasevich   Russia 16 May 1886 14 June 1939 poet, memoirist Heavy Lyre, Necropolis,
Volter Kilpi   Finland 12 December 1874 13 June 1939 novelist Alastalon salissa
Alcina Leite Pindahíba (pt)   Brazil 1854 1939 Educator Campesinas[3]
Antonio Machado   Spain 26 July 1875 22 February 1939 poet Juan de Mairena
Leonard Merrick   United Kingdom 21 February 1864 7 August 1939 novelist, short story writer, playwright Mr Bazalgette's Agent, Conrad in Quest of His Youth
Alphonse Mucha   Austrian Empire   Czech Republic 24 July 1860 14 July 1939 Painter, illustrator and graphic artist The Slav Epic
Kanoko Okamoto   Japan 1 March 1889 18 February 1939 poet, short story writer A Riot of Goldfish
Llewelyn Powys   United Kingdom 13 August 1884 2 December 1939 essayist, novelist A Pagan's Pilgrimage, Now That The Gods Are Dead
Arthur Rackham   United Kingdom 19 September 1867 6 September 1939 book illustrator illustrations for Rip Van Winkle, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Gulliver's Travels
Maurice Renard   France 28 February 1875 18 November 1939 Author The Hands of Orlac and The Blue Peril
Amanda McKittrick Ros   Ireland 8 December 1860 2 February 1939 novelist, poet Irene Iddesleigh
Joseph Roth   Austria 2 September 1894 27 May 1939 novelist, essayist The Wandering Jews, Radetzky March
E. C. Segar   United States 8 December 1894 13 October 1939 cartoonist Popeye, Thimble Theatre
Caton Theodorian   Romania 14 May 1871 8 January 1939 playwright, poet, short story writer and novelist Bujoreștii ("The Bujorescus")
S. S. Van Dine   United States 15 October 1888 11 April 1939 mystery writer The Benson Murder Case, The Bishop Murder Case
Amy Catherine Walton   United Kingdom 9 August 1849 5 July 1939 children's writer A Peep Behind the Scenes
W. B. Yeats   Ireland 13 June 1865 28 January 1939 poet, dramatist, prose writer The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems, The Countess Kathleen and Various Legends and Lyrics

Entered the public domain in countries with life + 50 years

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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.

Names Country Birth Death Occupation Notable work
Manuel Altolaguirre   Spain 29 June 1905 26 July 1959 poet, screenwriter Las islas invitadas y otros poemas(The Invited Isle and Other Poems), El triunfo de las germanías (The Triumph of the Brotherhood of the Guilds)
Maxwell Anderson   United States 15 December 1888 28 February 1959 playwright, poet Both Your Houses, Joan of Lorraine
Edwin Balmer   United States 26 July 1883 21 March 1959 Author When Worlds Collide
Johan Bojer   Norway 6 March 1872 3 July 1959 novelist, playwright Den siste viking (The Last of the Vikings), Vor egen stamme(The Emigrants)
Arnolt Bronnen   Austria 19 August 1895 12 October 1959 playwright Parricide, Birth of Youth
Emil František Burian   Czech Republic 11 June 1904 9 August 1959 poet, playwright Member of Osvobozené divadlo
Raymond Chandler   United States 23 July 1888 26 March 1959 detective fiction novelist, screenwriter The Big Sleep, Farewell, My Lovely, ; The Little Sister, The Long Goodbye
Laxmi Prasad Devkota     Nepal 13 November 1909 14 September 1959 poet, playwright, novelist Muna Madan, Shakuntala
Apsley Cherry-Garrard   United Kingdom 2 January 1886 18 May 1959 memoirist The Worst Journey in the World
G. D. H. Cole   United Kingdom 25 September 1889 14 January 1959 political theorist, economist, historian, short story writer The Brooklyn Murders, The Death of a Millionaire
W. W. Greg   United Kingdom 9 July 1875 4 March 1959 bibliographer, Shakespearean scholar Dramatic Documents from the Elizabethan Playhouses, English Literary Autographs, 1550–1650
Otfrid von Hanstein   Germany 23 September 1869 17 February 1959 Author
Laurence Housman   United Kingdom 18 July 1865 20 February 1959 novelist, playwright, illustrator An Englishwoman's Love-letters, Victoria Regina
Julien Josephson   United States 24 October 1881 14 April 1959 screenwriter Lady Windermere's Fan, The Bat, Heidi, Wee Willie Winkie
Alfred Kubin   Austria 10 April 1877 20 August 1959 Author and illustrator The Other Side
Edwin Muir   United Kingdom 15 May 1887 3 January 1959 Poet, Novelist The Present Age from 1914, The Scots and Their Country
Luis Palés Matos   Puerto Rico 20 March 1898 23 February 1959 Poet El palacio en sombras (The Palace in Shadows), Falsa canción de baquiné (False Song of a funeral for a child)
Benjamin Péret   France 4 July 1899 18 September 1959 Poet Le Passager du transatlantique, De derrière les fagots
Sax Rohmer   United Kingdom 15 February 1883 1 June 1959 crime novelist, horror fiction writer The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu, Brood of the Witch-Queen
Alfred Schütz   Austria 13 April 1899 20 May 1959 philosopher, social phenomenologist William James' Concept of the Stream of Consciousness Phenomenologically Interpreted, The Stranger
Pauline Smith   South Africa 2 April 1882 29 January 1959 novelist, short story writer, memoirist, playwright The Little Karoo, The Beadle
Galaktion Tabidze   Georgia 17 November 1892 17 March 1959 poet The Wind Blows
José Vasconcelos   Mexico 28 February 1882 30 June 1959 philosopher La raza cósmica (The Cosmic Race)
Boris Vian   France 10 March 1920 23 June 1959 novelist I Spit on Your Graves, Froth on the Daydream
Percy F. Westerman   United Kingdom 1876 22 February 1959 children's writer King of Kilba

Entering the public domain in the United States

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In the United States, the copyright status of works extends for the life of the author or artists, plus 70 years.[4][5] If the work is owned by a corporation, then the copyright extends 95 years.[6]

Due to the passing of the Copyright Term Extension Act (Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act) in 1998, no new works would enter the public domain in this jurisdiction until 2019.[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "EU Extends Copyright Term To 70 Years | Billboard". Billboard.biz. 2011-09-12. Archived from the original on 2013-01-06. Retrieved 2014-01-07.
  2. ^ Directive 2006/116/EC
  3. ^ "Alcina Leite Pindahíba". Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  4. ^ "What Could Have Entered the Public Domain | Duke University School of Law".
  5. ^ "S.505 - One Hundred Fifth Congress of the United States of America at the Second Session. An act to amend the provisions of title 17, United States Code, with respect to the duration of copyright, and for other purposes" (PDF). U.S. Copyright Office.
  6. ^ "Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States | Copyright Information Center".
  7. ^ "United States Copyright Law". Archived from the original on 2014-08-01. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
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