January 1 has become a double holiday for creatives. In addition to welcoming a new year, it is also now recognized as the day copyrighted works are welcomed into the public domain. That's right - January 1 is Public Domain Day.
Several classic animated characters and shorts have just hit the public domain. Post-Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse (now talking and clad in his familiar white gloves), Popeye, and Tintin are now fair game, as are the first Silly Symphonies, including the classic The Skeleton Dance.
Some major novels are now in the public domain: The Sound and the Fury (William Faulkner), A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway), The Maltese Falcon (Dashiell Hammett), A Room of One's Own (Virginia Woolf), Seven Dials Mystery (Agatha Christie), The Roman Hat Mystery (Ellery Queen's debut), and the first English translation of All Quiet on the Western Front (Erich Maria Remarque).
Among the films now in the public domain are The Marx Brothers' debut The Cocoanuts, Best Picture Winner The Broadway Melody, Pandora's Box (directed by G.W. Pabst, starring Louise Brooks), Blackmail (Alfred Hitchcock's first talkie), The Wild Party (Clara Bow's first talkie), and Hallelujah, one of the first major studio films with an all-black cast (directed by King Vidor).
Some classic songs and musical compositions hit the public domain yesterday: Singin' in the Rain, Ain't Misbehavin', Happy Days are Here Again, Tiptoe Through the Tulips, An American in Paris, and Bolero. Actual recordings now up for grabs are California Here I Come (Al Jolson), Rhapsody in Blue (George Gershwin), and Shreveport Stomp (Jelly Roll Morton).
In addition to the above, there are also poetry and artwork losing their copyrights. A comprehensive list can be found at Duke University's Center for the Study of the Public Domain, and be sure to scroll down to the section where they discuss the importance of the public domain. You may or may not agree with their point of view, but they still make some compelling arguments for the release of works to anyone who wants to use them.
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