Public domain rules by country: when works become free

Public domain terms by country

Where	Rule	Free on 1 Jan 2026	Free on 1 Jan 2027
United States	Published 1927 to 1977: 95 years from publication. From 1978: life + 70. Sound recordings before 1947: 100 years.	Published in 1930; recordings from 1925	Published in 1931; recordings from 1926
EU, UK, Turkey, Russia*, most of South America	Life + 70 years (films: 70 years after the last of director, screenwriter, dialogue author and composer dies)	Authors who died in 1955	Authors who died in 1956
Australia	Life + 70 for deaths from 1955; earlier deaths already free	Died 1955 (first new year since 2005)	Died 1956
Canada, New Zealand	Moved to life + 70 in 2022, not retroactive	Nothing new until 2043 (authors who died in 1972)
China, Egypt, South Africa, UAE, Saudi Arabia and others	Life + 50	Died 1975	Died 1976 (Agatha Christie)
India, Bangladesh, Venezuela	Life + 60	Died 1965	Died 1966
Japan	Life + 70 since 2018 (deaths before 1968 stayed at life + 50)	Nothing new until 2039
Spain	Life + 80 for authors who died before 7 Dec 1987	Died 1945	Died 1946
Colombia	Life + 80	Died 1945	Died 1946
Mexico	Life + 100 (for most modern works)	Very little new; check each work
Patents (almost everywhere)	20 years from filing, if fees are paid; drugs can get extensions	Filed in 2005 to 2006	Filed in 2006 to 2007
Trademarks	Never expire with age; lost by non-use or by becoming generic	Not on a calendar

* Russia adds 4 years for authors who fought or worked in the Second World War. Terms change: treat this as a guide and check the local law for anything important.

The five rules that catch people out

There is no single public domain. A book can be free in the US and protected in France, or the other way round. Sell only where it is free.
Each layer has its own clock. A song has a composition and a recording. A book has the text, the illustrations, the translation and the cover. A film has the script, the score and the footage.
Only the old version is free. When the 1928 Mickey became free, the later Mickey with gloves did not. Use the first editions, not today's versions.
Trademarks don't expire. You can use a free character in a story, but not in a way that suggests the brand owner made or approved your product.
Patents end, know-how doesn't transfer. An expired patent gives you the right to copy what is described, not the secret recipes, software or newer patents around it.

Where to check

General information, not legal advice. Copyright, patent and trademark status differs by country, edition and translation: check before you publish or sell. Full disclaimer