When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of works that entered the public domain in 2009. 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 (Life + 50 years) and Spain (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, 2009.

Names Country Birth Death Occupation Notable work
Lascelles Abercrombie   United Kingdom 9 January 1881 27 October 1938 literary critic, poet. An Essay Towards a Theory of Art, Poetry, Its Music and Meaning
Karel Čapek   Czech Republic 9 January 1890 25 December 1938 science fiction writer, playwright R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), War with the Newts
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay   India 15 September 1876 16 January 1938 short story writer, novelist. Parineeta, Devdas
Afonso Celso de Assis Figueiredo Júnior   Brazil 31 March 1860 11 July 1938 educator, poet and historian Works
Émile Cohl   France 4 January 1857 20 January 1938 Caricaturist, cartoonist and animator
Gabriele D'Annunzio   Italy 12 March 1863 1 March 1938 novelist, playwright, poet. Il Piacere (Pleasure), The Intruder, Il trionfo della morte (Triumph of Death)
Ovid Densusianu   Romania 29 December 1873 9 June 1938 folklorist, linguist, literary historian, philologist, poet. Istoria literaturii române, Histoire de la langue roumaine
Paola Drigo   Italy 4 January 1876 4 January 1938 short story writer, novelist. Fine d'anno, Maria Zef
James Forbes   Canada 2 September 1871 26 May 1938 playwright, screenwriter. The Chorus Lady, The Famous Mrs. Fair
Robert Herrick   United States 21 April 1868 23 December 1938 novelist. Web of Life
James Weldon Johnson   United States 17 June 1876 26 June 1938 anthologist, novelist, poet. "Lift Every Voice and Sing", The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
Willem Kloos   Netherlands 6 May 1859 31 March 1938 literary critic, poet. editor of De Nieuwe Gids (The New Guide)
E. V. Lucas   United Kingdom 11 June 1868 26 June 1938 biographer, essayist, humorist, novelist, playwright, poet, short story writer. What a Life!
Osip Mandelstam   Russia 14 January 1891 27 December 1938 poet. Puteshestviye v Armeniyu (Journey to Armenia), Razgovor o Dante (Conversation about Dante)
Georges Méliès   France 8 December 1861 21 January 1938 Film director A Trip to the Moon, The Impossible Voyage, The Merry Frolics of Satan and The Conquest of the Pole
Migjeni   Albania 13 October 1911 26 August 1938 poet. Trajtat e Mbinjeriut (The shape of the Superman), Kanga skandaloze (Scandalous song)
Lady Ottoline Morrell   United Kingdom 16 June 1873 21 April 1938 memoirist, patron of the arts. two volumes of memoirs
Momčilo Nastasijević   Serbia 23 September 1894 13 February 1938 dramatist, novelist, poet. The Unevoked, Master Mladen's Daughter
Henry Newbolt   United Kingdom 6 June 1862 19 April 1938 historian, novelist, poet. Vitaï Lampada (the torch of life), Drake's Drum
Branislav Nušić   Serbia 20 October 1864 19 January 1938 playwright, essayist, novelist. A Member of the Parliament, A Suspicious Person
Gustave Le Rouge   France 22 July 1867 24 February 1938 Author The Vampires of Mars
Olivia Shakespear   United Kingdom 17 March 1863 3 October 1938 novelist, playwright, patron of the arts. Love on a Mortal Lease, Uncle Hilary
Konstantin Stanislavski   Russia 17 January 1863 7 August 1938 acting theorist. My Life in Art
E. G. Swain   United Kingdom 19 February 1861 29 January 1938 Author The Stoneground Ghost Tales
Armando Palacio Valdés   Spain 4 October 1853 29 January 1938 novelist. The Joy of Captain Ribot
Owen Wister   United States 14 July 1860 21 July 1938 biographer, historian, Western fiction writer The Virginian, Ulysses S. Grant, Roosevelt: The Story of a Friendship
Thomas Wolfe   United States 3 October 1900 15 September 1938 short story writer, novelist Look Homeward, Angel, You Can't Go Home Again

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
Eleanor Hallowell Abbott   United States 22 September 1872 4 June 1958 novelist, poet, short story writer. Molly Make-Believe, But Once A Year: Christmas Stories
James Branch Cabell   United States 14 April 1879 5 May 1958 fantasy writer. Jurgen, A Comedy of Justice, Biography of the Life of Manuel
E. Everett Evans   United States 30 November 1893 2 December 1958 Science fiction author
Margiad Evans   United Kingdom 17 March 1909 17 March 1958 illustrator, novelist, poet. Country Dance, Autobiography, A Ray of Darkness, The Nightingale Silenced
Dorothy Canfield Fisher   United States 17 February 1879 9 November 1958 literary critic, memoirist, novelist, short story writer, translator. Understood Betsy
Marjorie Flack   United States 22 October 1897 29 August 1958 children's writer, illustrator. writer of The Story About Ping, illustrator of The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes
Angelina Weld Grimké   United States 27 February 1880 10 June 1958 playwright, poet. Rachel
Michael Joseph   United Kingdom 26 September 1897 15 March 1958 Writer, publisher. How to Write Serial Fiction, Puss in Books: A collection of stories about cats, The Sword in the Scabbard
Cyril M. Kornbluth   United States 2 July 1923 21 March 1958 science fiction writer The Little Black Bag, The Marching Morons
Henry Kuttner   United States 7 April 1915 3 February 1958 Writer of fantasy, horror fiction, and science fiction. The Graveyard Rats, Mimsy Were the Borogoves
Rose Macaulay   United Kingdom 1 August 1881 30 October 1958 biographer, novelist, travel writer. The World My Wilderness, The Towers of Trebizond
Johnston McCulley   United States 2 February 1883 23 November 1958 Author Zorro
G. E. Moore   United Kingdom 4 November 1873 24 October 1958 journal editor, philosopher. Principia Ethica, A Defence of Common Sense
Charles Langbridge Morgan   United Kingdom 22 January 1894 6 February 1958 novelist, playwright. The Burning Glass
Alfred Noyes   United Kingdom 16 September 1880 25 June 1958 playwright, poet, short story writer. The Highwayman, Shakespeare's Kingdom
Seumas O'Sullivan   Ireland 17 July 1879 24 March 1958 magazine editor, poet. Twilight People, Verses Sacred and Profane
Elliot Paul   United States 10 February 1891 7 April 1958 journalist, novelist, screenwriter. Life and Death of a Spanish Town, Linden on the Saugus Branch
Nicolae Petrescu-Comnen   Romania 24 August 1881 8 December 1958 social scientist. Accidente profesionale (Work-related Accidents), Câteva considerațiuni asupra socialismului și asupra roadelor sale (Some Musings on Socialism and Its Results
Peig Sayers   Ireland 1873 8 December 1958 seanchaí (traditional Gaelic storyteller and historian)

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Peig, Machnamh Seanmhná (An Old Woman's Reflections)
Robert W. Service   Canada 16 January 1874 11 September 1958 poet. The Shooting of Dan McGrew, The Cremation of Sam McGee
J. C. Squire   United Kingdom 2 April 1884 20 December 1958 historian, literary critic, magazine editor, poet. Robin Hood: a farcical romantic pastoral , Shakespeare as a Dramatist
Ethel Turner   Australia 24 January 1870 8 April 1958 children's writer, novelist. Seven Little Australians
Geoffrey Willans   United Kingdom 4 February 1911 6 August 1958 children's writer, humorist, novelist, screenwriter. Down with Skool! A Guide to School Life for Tiny Pupils and their Parents, Whizz for Atomms: A Guide to Survival in the 20th Century for Fellow Pupils, their Doting Maters, Pompous Paters and Any Others who are Interested

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.[3][4] If the work is owned by a corporation, then the copyright extends 95 years.[5]

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.[6]

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. ^ "What Could Have Entered the Public Domain | Duke University School of Law".
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ "Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States | Copyright Information Center".
  6. ^ "United States Copyright Law". Archived from the original on 2014-08-01. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
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