Name: Betty Boop, Nancy Drew become public domain in 2026
Uploaded: 2026-01-02T23:54:55.719Z
Duration: 1 min 52 s
Description: Get ready for more Betty Boop, Pluto the Dog and Nancy Drew. Thousands of copyrighted works dating back to 1930 officially became public domain at the start of this year.

Get ready for more Betty Boop, Pluto the Dog and Nancy Drew. Thousands of copyrighted works dating back to 1930 officially became public domain at the start of this year.

Los Angeles

A range of notable works, including the 1930 film 'All Quiet on the Western Front,' the first four Nancy Drew novels, and early versions of characters like Betty Boop and Blondie, have entered the public domain in 2026. This means these works are no longer protected by copyright and can be freely used by artists and creators without legal restrictions.

Intellectual property experts note that only the original versions of these characters are included, as later iterations remain protected. The move is seen as a boost for creativity, with public domain access enabling new artistic projects and reinterpretations of classic material.

Betty Boop, Nancy Drew become public domain in 2026

The film, All Quiet on the Western Front, entered new territory in 2026. The 1930 Best Picture winner is now in the public domain, meaning it's no longer protected by copyright. There are other works available, too, from songs like Georgia on My Mind to comic strips like Blondie and original versions of some characters. Blondie's dog Pluto was initially called Rover. And when Betty Boop first popped on screen, she had dog ears. Some of these characters change and develop over time, and so it's only the first iterations. You might want to call them Betty Boop 1.0 or Pluto 1.0 that are in the public domain. Duke professor and intellectual property law expert Jennifer Jenkins leads a team that tracks down copyright records every year. Looking at these works is like a time capsule, and you realize that the memory of the Roaring Twenties was fresh, but we were in the midst of the Great Depression. Classic books include The Little Engine That Could, the first four Nancy Drew novels, and Agatha Christie's The Murder at the Vicarage. Even the original FIFA World Cup trophy is now fair game. What can artists and creators do with these works now that they're in the public domain? Artists and creators can use these works in their own creations without having an army of lawyers, without having to worry about a lawsuit, without having to track down the original copyright owners. Oh, we birds of a different feather. Jenkins says access helps push art forward and generate big new ideas like Wicked, based on public domain characters from The Wizard of Oz book. You can see the public domain all around you. It's a wellspring of creativity. A fresh start for some classic works. Bradley Blackburn, CBS News, New York.

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