2025 in public domain

When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of works that enter the public domain in 2025. 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 (Life + 50 years) 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 For previously unpublished material, those who publish it first will have the publication rights for 25 years.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 2025.

Names	Country	Birth	Death	Occupation	Notable work
Franco Alfano	Italy	8 March 1875	27 October 1954	Composer	Risurrezione
Oswald de Andrade	Brazil	11 January 1890	22 October 1954	Writer
[it]	Italy	15 March 1885	4 January 1954	Journalist
E. Ray Goetz	United States	12 June 1886	12 June 1954	Composer, songwriter	"For Me and My Gal"
Heinz Guderian	Germany	17 June 1888	14 May 1954	General	Achtung – Panzer!, Panzer Leader
James Hilton	United Kingdom	9 September 1900	20 December 1954	Writer	Goodbye, Mr. Chips, Lost Horizon
Raymond Hubbell	United States	1 June 1879	13 December 1954	Writer, composer, lyricist	"Poor Butterfly"
Hans Janowitz	Germany	2 December 1890	25 May 1954	Screenwriter	The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Achille Longo	Italy	28 March 1900	28 May 1954	Composer
Gino Loria	Italy	19 May 1862	30 January 1954	Mathematician
Getúlio Vargas	Brazil	19 April 1882	24 August 1954	Politician	Carta Testamento
Alpheus Hyatt Verrill	United States	23 July 1871	14 November 1954	Writer, zoologist

Entering the public domain in Spain[]

Spain has a copyright term of life + 80 years for creators that died before 1987. The list is sorted alphabetically and includes a notable work of the creator that entered the public domain on 1 January 2025.

Names	Country	Birth	Death	Occupation	Notable work
Krzysztof Kamil Baczyński	Poland	22 January 1921	4 August 1944	Poet
Winsor McCay	United States	1866–71	26 July 1944	Cartoonist, illustrator and animator	Little Nemo Dream of the Rarebit Fiend Gertie the Dinosaur
Piet Mondrian	Netherlands	7 March 1872	1 February 1944	Painter and art theoretician	Gray Tree Composition with Red Blue and Yellow Broadway Boogie Woogie
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry	France	29 June 1900	31 July 1944	Writer	The Little Prince
W. Heath Robinson	United Kingdom	13 May 1872	13 September 1944	Cartoonist, illustrator, artist

Countries with life + 60 years[]

India

Names	Country	Birth	Death	Occupation	Notable work

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.

Names	Country	Birth	Death	Occupation	Notable work
Farid al-Atrash	Syria Egypt	1917	26 December 1974	Musician
Julius Evola	Italy	19 May 1898	11 June 1974	Philosopher	Revolt Against the Modern World
Robert Charles Zaehner	United Kingdom	8 April 1913	24 November 1974	Historian of religion, Spy	Zurvan. A Zoroastrian Dilemma, Mysticism: Sacred and Profane, Our Savage God

Entering the public domain in 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. But the change was not made retroactive (unlike the 1995 change in the European Union which bought some e.g. British authors back into copyright, especially those who died from 1925 to 1944). 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 will come out of copyright until 1 January 2026 (those who died in 1955).^[1]

Entering the public domain in the United States[]

Under the Copyright Term Extension Act, books published in 1929, films released in 1929, and other works published in 1929, will enter the public domain in 2025.^[2] Sound recordings that were published in 1925 will enter the public domain.^[3]

Unpublished works whose authors died in 1954 will enter the public domain.

Among the works that will enter public domain in 2025 is the first film of The Marx Brothers, The Cocoanuts, Ernest Hemingway's novel A Farewell to Arms, the first part of the 14th edition of Encyclopædia Britannica, and the first Silly Symphony cartoons.

References[]

^ "How long does copyright last? | National Library of Australia". www.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
^ "Copyright and the Public Domain". Public Domain Information Project. Archived from the original on 2014-08-01. Retrieved 2019-01-23.
^ Hirtle, Peter B. (3 January 2020). "Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States". Cornell University Library Copyright Information Center. Retrieved 17 December 2020.

External links[]

Media related to Undelete in 2025 at Wikimedia Commons
"Authors by Year of Death – 1954". AuthorAndBookInfo.com.
Popular Books of 1929 at Goodreads

This law-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

[1] "How long does copyright last? | National Library of Australia". www.nla.gov.au. Retrieved 10 June 2020.

[2] "Copyright and the Public Domain". Public Domain Information Project. Archived from the original on 2014-08-01. Retrieved 2019-01-23.

[3] Hirtle, Peter B. (3 January 2020). "Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States". Cornell University Library Copyright Information Center. Retrieved 17 December 2020.

[1]

[2]

[3]