And each year on January 1, a community of people celebrate Public Domain Day. That’s the day get thousands of new books, plays, films, and recordings, and other artistic works are newly released from the cages of copyright protection.
The Center For the Study of the Public Domain at Duke Law School maintains a robust inventory of works with expiring copyrights. This year, the Center says, works from 1928 are open to all, as are sound recordings from 1923.
The most recognizable figure released into the public domain for 2024? Well, that’d be Mickey Mouse. UW-Madison professor Alan Rubel helps us celebrate Public Domain Day.
As heard on wortfm.org.