1930 Works Enter US Public Domain in 2026

On January 1, 2026, classic characters Betty Boop and Blondie joined Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh in the United States public domain, along with a range of books, films, and songs from 1930 whose copyrights expired after a 95-year term. This annual transition allows creators to freely use and adapt these early versions without permission or payment, marking the latest entry in a series of cultural works released since 2019 following the end of a two-decade copyright extension period.

The move stems from federal copyright law, which grants protection for works published between 1923 and 1977 for up to 95 years from their original release. With the calendar turning to 2026, four early Betty Boop cartoons, including her debut in the short film "Dizzy Dishes," entered the public domain. In that 1930 Fleischer Studios production released by Paramount Pictures, Betty appears as an anthropomorphic dog with poodle ears and a black nose, performing a song-and-dance routine while singing "boop boop a doop." She was initially a sidekick to the dog character Bimbo and drew partial inspiration from singer Helen Kane, whose 1929 hit popularized similar phrases. Kane later lost a lawsuit...