In the new year, paintings by Henri Matisse, Frida Kahlo and André Derain, as well as photographs by Robert Capa and literary works by Zofia Nalkowska, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette and Stig Dagerman will become available in the public domain within the European Union.
Meanwhile, in the United States, some works (that are already in the public domain in the EU) will enter the public domain, including Maurice Ravel’s Boléro and Popeye by cartoonist Elzie Crisler Segar.
On this occasion, it is worth recalling that the length of copyright protection varies from country to country. The minimum period of protection is, according to the 1886 Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, 50 years from the date of death of the author of the work. In the European Union and the United Kingdom, the period is 70 years. In the US, the period of protection is the same as in the EU, but only for works created after January 1, 1978. For earlier works, the protection reaches 95 years from the date of their first publication.
