24 Dec, 2025
2025-12-24 1:11:41 PM UTC
I cannot see much new for Tolkien, generally items published up to 1930 become public domain in the USA on January 1st, 2026.
This is an interesting one though, the sound recordings are already freely available (though probably still in copyright), but the printed matter will be public domain soon.
https://tolkienbooks.net/php/details2.php?id=72For those interested, an interesting list of other material that is Public Domain next year, in the USA.
https://copyrightlately.com/public-domain-2026/#lists
24 Dec, 2025
2025-12-24 3:51:36 PM UTC
For those of us who are not well-versed in the downstream economic, social and cultural impacts of a work entering public domain (above and beyond it being legal to copy/reproduce etc.), what are the likely consequences of Tolkien's work entering public domain in the U. S. on publishing?
Agatha Christie, although not comparable to Tolkien in any significant intellectual or literary way, has sold an immense number of books. Do we know anything about how some works entering U.S. public domain has impacted the publishing environment for those books? Could it give us some ideas? Did it make publishing those books less attractive for publishers or did it lead to a reinvigoration? Or is it too complex to tell? Only reason I mention Christie is to try to avoid speculation and try to look at real-world examples.
Since the European standard is 70 years after the death of the author, I guess not much will change in the UK and continental Europe?
24 Dec, 2025
2025-12-24 4:06:03 PM UTC
For Agatha Christie, anyone can write their own story, using any of the characters published that are now in the Public Domain, and publish these books in the USA, without any royalties being paid to the Estate, as of January, that includes Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
There will be a big impact as well, in other countries such as the UK, when all of Tolkien becomes public domain, 2043 and Christie, 2046, as all royalties will stop at that point. This does not apply to works written or edited by Christopher Tolkien as an example, such as The Silmarillion, parts of which but not all would be public domain.
26 Dec, 2025
2025-12-26 12:04:37 AM UTC
DMRoberts wrote:
Is the original published version of Goblin Feet even in (US/UK) PD yet? Or is that not until 1973+70 years?
Should be in the public domain (as of Jan 1, 2022), given the Book of Fairy Poetry (which may or may not be the earliest US publication) was in 1920.
26 Dec, 2025
2025-12-26 1:38:49 AM UTC
Ok, so that's the US PD, but the UK? It's even earlier there.
It would be good to know which of his early published poems, if any, are PD and where. And what is the moving wall, if it's not just a flat 2043.
26 Dec, 2025
2025-12-26 3:53:01 AM UTC
DMRoberts wrote:
Ok, so that's the US PD, but the UK? It's even earlier there.
It would be good to know which of his early published poems, if any, are PD and where. And what is the moving wall, if it's not just a flat 2043.
Not PD on the UK until 2043, as the UK is based solely on author date of death, whereas the US had different rules for works first published prior to 1923 (and there are some other key dates where different rules applied).
Every chance copyright will be extended beyond 70 years before 2043 - corporate interests and all that.
27 Dec, 2025
2025-12-27 8:07:33 AM UTC
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