Some years ago, I was writing a science fiction short story in which I wanted to incorporate verses from a 1928 song, “Button Up Your Overcoat.” However, when I sold the story, my editor told me that since the song was still copyrighted, it was safer not to include the verses.
If I had written the story today, I could have used them — because the song passed into public domain two years ago.
If you’re looking for songs, books, or movies with content you want to use, you are probably examining which of your favorites are headed for the public domain. This year, copyrighted works created in 1930 (except for sound recordings, where the date is 1925) are now free to reuse and repurpose in the US.
As mentioned in our coverage last year, Duke Law School’s Center for the Study of Public Domain has once again rounded up all the most iconic works that have been freed from the bounds of copyright.
First, as we did last year, let’s look at some of the better-known works entering the public domain this year (you can view the full catalog here):
William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying
Agatha Christie’s novel The Murder at the Vicarage
The original first four Nancy Drew mysteries, beginning with Secret of the Old Clock
Fleischer Studios’ Betty Boop
The Blondie comic strip by Chic Young
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