There are some new Mickey Mouse animations, too.

Summary

As of 2025, works from 1929, including early versions of Popeye and Tintin, have entered the public domain in the U.S., allowing free reuse and adaptation.

Iconic works now public include The Skeleton Dance (Disney’s Silly Symphonies), Alfred Hitchcock’s Blackmail, William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials Mystery, and Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own.

However, Tintin remains under copyright in the EU until 2054.

This follows recent public domain entries like Steamboat Willie-era Mickey Mouse in 2024, with Betty Boop and Pluto set to join in 2026.

  • @wjriiEnglish
    14•4 days ago

    True, but the use case of a trademark is also different. Simply titling your work Popeye and featuring a spinach-less Popeye as a main character should be fine (spinach as a super-serum is a still a few years away from entering the public domain). You wouldn’t want to do something like name your studio after him or try to use him for a brand of cereal or something, but even Disney has had to be careful not to go overboard with Steamboat Willie derivative works despite obviously putting him on the Disney Animation title-card to get some trademark protection. Basically, it will be hard to fully commercialize these characters if you aren’t already the one legally entitled to do so, but creators can use the public domain versions even if the trademarks are still actively in use.