At the start of each year, on January 1st, a new crop of works enter the public domain and become free to enjoy, share, and reuse for any purpose. Due to differing copyright laws around the world, there is no one single public domain — and here we focus on three of the most prominent. Newly entering the public domain in 2026 will be:
Slight correction: what will enter the public domain in select jurisdictions in 2026. There are still several places (notably Mexico, Guatemala, Jamaica, Colombia, Equatorial Guinea, Honduras, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Samoa) with terms longer than life + 75; the longest goes all the way to life + 100 years. As a result, I only consider works that actually enter the worldwide public domain next January 1st, 2026, if their authors died no later than December 31st, 1925. onthisday.com/deaths/date/1925