Public Domain Day 2027: works from 1931 become free to use
By Daniel Rahl Jackson · Updated 20 October 2026
On 1 January 2027, works published in 1931 that were still under US copyright enter the US public domain. From that day anyone can republish, adapt, translate or perform them without permission. Sound recordings made in 1926 become free on the same day, under the separate rules for recordings.
Among the works expected to become free
- The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, the bestselling novel of 1931 and 1932 in the US.
- Sanctuary by William Faulkner.
- The Waves by Virginia Woolf, in its original 1931 edition.
- The films Frankenstein, Dracula and Charlie Chaplin's City Lights, all released in 1931.
Each year Duke University's Center for the Study of the Public Domain publishes a well-researched list in December; check it, or the copyright status of the specific edition, before you publish.
What becomes free, and what doesn't
- Only the 1931 version. Later revisions, sequels, translations and film adaptations keep their own copyright.
- Characters become free as they appeared in 1931. Traits added in later works stay protected until those works expire.
- Trademarks are separate from copyright and don't expire with age, so be careful with titles, logos and character names used as brands.
- Outside the US, the author's lifetime usually matters instead; see our guide for publishers.
For publishers: plan now
New public-domain titles attract a rush of editions in the first weeks of January. If you want to publish one, prepare your edition, cover and notes in advance, and set it to go live on 1 January. Look at the public-domain finder to see how much demand older classics still have, and how crowded they are.