Hesburgh Libraries Celebrate Public Domain Day 2024
On January 1, 2024, a new batch of published works lost their copyright and graduated into the public domain.
If the public domain class of 2024 had a yearbook, Steamboat Willie, the first widely released iteration of Disney's Mickey Mouse, might be named "most popular." He may also be awarded "cutest couple" with his girlfriend, Minnie Mouse, who was introduced in the same cartoon and has entered the public domain this year as well.
Other yearbook highlights include the Charleston for "best dance" and the bouncy Winnie the Pooh character Tigger, first introduced in The House at Pooh Corner, as the "most enthusiastic."
"The idea of the public domain is that creative works belong to the people, not just the original creators," said Tiffany Gillaspy, music librarian at the Hesburgh Libraries. "They have exclusive rights to their work for a while. Once items hit the public domain, they are open to use and manipulation, which makes them great subjects for teaching material.”
The public domain helps institutions, such as libraries and museums, preserve the historical record. After a copyright expires, works can be restored, digitized, and added to collections and databases for research and teaching.
In honor of the public domain class of 2024, the Hesburgh Libraries will hold a Public Domain Day celebration with a series of events and a contest to highlight some of the works entering the public domain this year. The events will include learning about Steamboat Willie, Disney and copyright law, an opportunity to dance the Charleston, and a Public Domain Day music contest.
Public Domain Day was first publicly celebrated by the Hesburgh Libraries in January 2023 and organized by Gillaspy and the Hesburgh Libraries Copyright Team.
From a historical perspective, all of the works entering the public domain this year came out during the Coolidge administration. They include books, films and other works released or published in 1928, the year that Charles Lindbergh was presented the Medal of Honor for his first trans-Atlantic flight, that penicillin was discovered, and that audiences heard Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's (MGM) mascot Leo the Lion roar for the first time. It will also include sound recordings published in 1923 when Yankee Stadium hosted its first game.
Works moved into the public domain are free to use without permission and can be reproduced, distributed, performed, translated, and reused to further education, research and new culture.
In addition to pointing out that the public domain aids in teaching and the creation of new art, Gillaspy also notes that these works help scholars who want to publish their research on historical topics.
“It can be difficult to license under-copyright works for reproduction,” she says. “Once something is in the Public Domain, this is not a problem.”
Mickey, Minnie and Tigger aren't the first famous characters to enter the public domain. A.A. Milne's original Winnie the Pooh stories entered the public domain in 2022. Disney still holds the copyright to their version of the honey-loving bear, but they no longer have exclusive rights to the character. In 2023, an independent British film company reimagined the original book characters and produced the slasher film Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.
“As things enter the public domain, I think seeing new stories with old characters is great."
However, it does come with some challenges. Even with their copyright expiring, it will be interesting to see what happens with iconic Disney characters that cross over into the public sphere in the next few years, as the company still holds trademarks on most of its famous faces.
"It's a fine line with Mickey because it's the early version of Mickey that is available," said Gillaspy. "It looks more like a rat. It's not the one you see at Disney World."
While Gillaspy understands Disney's reluctance to have its content move into the public sphere, she points out that several iconic Disney stories were born of creative interpretations and reimaginations of older content.
"A lot of the Disney movies are stories from the public domain," she said. "Stories like Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Walt Disney took them out of the public domain and put them in a new box of his own."