US works published before 1964 needed a copyright renewal after 28 years. Most were never renewed, so a large share of mid-century US books, magazines and pulp stories are already public domain.
| Where | Status |
|---|---|
| United States | Free since 1992 |
Limits
Check each title in the renewal records (NYPL and Stanford databases). Foreign works were restored by treaty in 1996, so this mainly applies to US works.
Ideas
Reprint lost novels, pulp magazines, cookbooks and textbooks.
Sources
- NYPL, Catalog of Copyright Entries renewal data
- Stanford Copyright Renewal Database
- Cornell, Copyright term and the public domain in the US
Checked 31 October 2026. Report a correction.
More other
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New in 2026Australia's first new public domain in 20 yearsAuthors who died in 1955 · 1955 · Other
Australia moved from life+50 to life+70 in 2005 without reviving expired works, so nothing new entered for twenty years. On 1 January 2026 works by authors who died in 1955 became free there, and Trove opened 1955 newspapers.
Australia 2026 -
EarlierUS federal government worksNASA, NOAA, USGS, US military and others · various · Other
Works made by US federal employees for their jobs are public domain from the start: NASA photos, USGS maps, NOAA data, military manuals, federal reports.
US ·
General information, not legal advice. Copyright, patent and trademark status differs by country, edition and translation: check before you publish or sell. Full disclaimer