2020 in public domain

When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of works that enter the public domain in 2020. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.

Entering the public domain in countries with life + 70 years

With the exception of Belarus and Spain (which has a copyright term of Life + 80 years for creators that died before 1987), a work enters the public domain in Europe 70 years after the creator's death, if it was published during the creator's lifetime.^[1][2] The list is sorted alphabetically and includes a notable work of the creator that entered the public domain on January 1, 2020.

Names	Country	Birth	Death	Occupation	Notable work
James Truslow Adams	United States	18 October 1878	18 May 1949	Writer	The March of Democracy
Virginia M. Alexander	United States	1900	1949	Physician	Publications
Mary Antin	United States	13 June 1881	15 May 1949	Writer	The Promised Land
Alice Bailey	United States	16 June 1880	15 December 1949	Writer	Works
Hassan al-Banna	Egypt	14 October 1906	12 February 1949	imam	Mudhakkirât al-da'wa wa al-dâ'iya
Rex Beach	United States	1 September 1877	7 December 1949	Writer, Olympic athlete	The Spoilers
Khalil Beidas	Palestine	1874	1949	novelist	Works
Friedrich Bergius	Germany	11 October 1884	30 March 1949	Chemist	Bergius process
Musa Bigiev	Russia	25 December 1873 (O. S.)	28 October 1949	Theologian	Selected works
Elisheva Bikhovski	Israel	20 September 1888	27 March 1949	Writer, Translator	Simta'ot
Leonard Bloomfield	United States	1 April 1887	18 April 1949	Linguist	Selected publications
Umberto Brunelleschi	Italy	21 June 1879	16 February 1949	Artist, Illustrator
Guillermo Buitrago	Colombia	1 April 1920	19 April 1949	Composer	La Vispera de Año Nuevo
N. D. Cocea	Romania	29 November 1880	1 February 1949	Journalist, Novelist	Vinul de viață lungă
Richard Connell	United States	17 October 1893	22 November 1949	Writer	The Most Dangerous Game
Carlo Conti Rossini	Italy	1872	1949	Orientalist	Italia ed Etiopia dal trattato di Uccialli alla battaglia d'Adua
Norman Davey	United Kingdom	5 May 1888	6 June 1949	Engineer, Writer	The Pilgrim of a Smile
Félix d'Herelle	France	25 April 1873	22 February 1949	Microbiologist	Published works
Grigoraș Dinicu	Romania	3 April 1889	28 March 1949	Composer	Hora staccato
Ali Douagi	Tunisia	4 January 1909	27 May 1949	sketch artist	Sahirtu minhu al-layali
William Price Drury	United Kingdom	8 November 1861	21 January 1949	Writer, soldier, politician	The Flag Lieutenant
Inés Echeverría Bello	Chile	1868	1949	Writer	Entre Deux Mondes
Arthur Eichengrün	Germany	13 August 1867	23 December 1949	Chemist	50 Jahre Aspirin
Emil Elenius	Finland	16 September 1877	1 March 1949	novelist	Silkkilaiva
August Fischer	Germany	14 February 1865	14 February 1949	Orientalist	Arabische Chrestomathie aus Prosaschriftstellern
Victor Fleming	United States	23 February 1889	6 January 1949	Film Director	The Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind
James Forrestal	United States	15 February 1892	22 May 1949	Politician	The Forrestal Diaries
Nikolay Gamaleya	Russia	17 February 1859	29 March 1949	Physician, microbiologist
Henri Giraud	France	18 January 1879	11 March 1949	General	Mes Evasions, Un seul but; la victoire: Alger 1942-1944
Mikhail Golodny	Russia	11 December 1903	20 January 1949	Poet	Song about Shchors
Ángel González Palencia	Spain	4 September 1889	30 October 1949	Orientalist	El amor entre los musulmanes españoles, El tesoro de los Nazaríes
Martin Grabmann	Germany	5 January 1875	9 January 1949	Priest, Historian	Thomas Aquinas: His Personality and Thought
Stanisław Grabski	Poland	5 April 1871	6 May 1949	Economist, Politician
Major Greenwood	United Kingdom	9 August 1880	5 October 1949	Epidemiologist	Publications
George Gurdjieff	Armenia	13 January 1866	29 October 1949	spiritual teacher	The Herald of Coming Good
Kunihiko Hashimoto	Japan	14 September 1904	6 May 1949	Composer	Azami no Hana
Will Hay	United Kingdom	6 December 1888	18 April 1949	Comedian, amateur astronomer	Through My Telescope
Burton J. Hendrick	United States	8 December 1870	23 March 1949	Author	The Life and Letters of Walter H. Page
Johann Jakob Hess	Germany	11 January 1866	29 April 1949	Egyptologist	Von den Beduinen des inneren Arabiens
Ludwig Hohlwein	Germany	27 July 1874	15 September 1949	Poster artist
William Jackson Humphreys	United States	3 February 1862	10 November 1949	physicist	Bibliography
Otto Hupp	Germany	21 May 1859	31 January 1949	graphical artist	Wappen und Siegel der deutschen Städte, Flecken und Dörfer
Douglas Hyde	Ireland	17 January 1860	12 July 1949	linguist	The necessity for de-anglicising the Irish nation
Edmond Jaloux	France	19 June 1878	22 August 1949	Novelist	Works
Oskar Jellinek	Austria	22 January 1886	12 October 1949	Writer	Die Mutter der Neun
Pierre Jouguet	France	14 May 1869	9 July 1949	Egyptologist	Works
Unno Juza	Japan	26 December 1897	17 May 1949	Writer of science fiction
Selâhattin Kantar	Turkey	1878	17 November 1949	playwright	Kara Dana
Hugh Kingsmill	United Kingdom	21 November 1889	15 May 1949	Writer, journalist
Martin Knudsen	Denmark	15 February 1871	27 May 1949	Physicist	The Kinetic Theory of Gases
August Krogh	Denmark	15 November 1874	13 September 1949	Zoologist	The Respiratory Exchange of Animals and Man
Joan Lamote de Grignon	Spain	7 July 1872	11 March 1949	Composer	La nit de Nadal
Vasily Lebedev-Kumach	Russia	5 August 1898	20 February 1949	Poet	The Sacred War
Albert Howe Lybyer	United States	1876	1949	orientalist	The Government of the Ottoman Empire in the Time of Suleiman the Magnificent
Carmen Lyra	Costa Rica	1888	13 May 1949	Writer	Cuentos De Mi Tia Panchita
Maurice Maeterlinck	Belgium	29 August 1862	6 May 1949	Playwright	Works
René Maire	France	29 May 1878	24 November 1949	botanist	Flore de l'Afrique du Nord
Tan Malaka	Indonesia	2 June 1897	21 February 1949	Guerrilla, Philosopher	Madilog
Klaus Mann	Germany	18 November 1906	21 May 1949	Novelist	Mephisto
J. C. Mardrus	France	1868	1949	Orientalist	Works
Elton Mayo	Australia	26 December 1880	7 September 1949	Psychologist	Publications
Ibrahim al-Mazini	Egypt	19 August 1889	1949	Writer	Spider Webs
Stefan Meyer	Austria	27 April 1872	29 December 1949	Physicist	Radioaktivität
Margaret Mitchell	United States	8 November 1900	16 August 1949	Novelist	Gone with the Wind
Axel Munthe	Sweden	31 October 1857	11 February 1949	Psychiatrist	The Story of San Michele
Khalil Mutran	Lebanon	1 July 1872	1 June 1949	poet
Sarojini Naidu	India	13 February 1879	2 March 1949	Poet	Works
Makino Nobuaki	Japan	24 November 1861	25 January 1949	Statesman	Makino Nobuaki nikki
Carlos Obligado	Argentina	21 May 1889	3 February 1949	Writer, critic	March of the Malvinas
José Clemente Orozco	Mexico	23 November 1883	7 September 1949	painter	Works
Francesco Pasinetti	Italy	1 June 1911	2 April 1949	Film Director, screenwriter	The Canal of the Angels
Fidelio Ponce de León	Cuba	24 January 1895	19 February 1949	Painter	Niňos
Alfred Rehder	United States	4 September 1863	25 July 1949	Botanist	Manual of Cultivated Trees and Shrubs, Hardy in North America
Gennaro Righelli	Italy	12 December 1886	6 January 1949	Film director, screenwriter	Svengali
Tod Robbins	United States	1888	1949	writer	Works
Julius Ruska	Germany	9 February 1867	11 February 1949	Orientalist	Al Razi (Rhases) als Chemiker
Antoun Saadeh	Lebanon	1 March 1904	8 July 1949	Politician	Nushu' al-Umam
Paul Schultze-Naumburg	Germany	10 June 1869	19 May 1949	Architect	Die Kunst der Deutschen. Ihr Wesen und ihre Werke
Alexander Serafimovich	Russia	7 January 1863	19 January 1949	Writer	The Iron Flood
Alexey Shchusev	Russia	8 October 1873	24 May 1949	Architect	Lenin's Mausoleum
Edward Stettinius	United States	22 October 1900	31 October 1949	Politician	Roosevelt and the Russians
Herbert Stothart	United States	11 September 1885	1 February 1949	Composer, songwriter, conductor	Score for The Wizard of Oz
Richard Strauss	Germany	11 June 1864	8 September 1949	Composer	List of compositions
Harry Stack Sullivan	United States	21 February 1892	14 January 1949	Psychiatrist	Works
Ali Mahmoud Taha	Egypt	3 August 1901	17 November 1949	Poet	Nights of the Lost Sailor, Palestine
Edward Thorndike	United States	31 August 1874	9 August 1949	Psychologist	Works
Joaquín Turina	Spain	9 December 1882	14 January 1949	Composer	Danzas fantásticas
Sigrid Undset	Norway	20 May 1882	10 June 1949	Novelist	Works
Shabbir Ahmad Usmani	Pakistan	11 October 1887	13 December 1949	theologian	Fathul Mulhim Sharh Sahih Muslim
Josef Velenovský	Czech Republic	22 April 1858	7 May 1949	botanist	Works
Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido	Venezuela	28 July 1854	25 July 1949	politician	Works
Arthur Leo Zagat	United States	15 February 1896	3 April 1949	Writer, lawyer
Nikola Zhekov	Bulgaria	6 January 1864	1 November 1949	General	Memoirs

Entering the public domain in countries with life + 50 years

In most countries of Africa and Asia, as well as Belarus, Bolivia, Canada, New Zealand and Uruguay; a work enters the public domain 50 years after the creator's death.

Names	Country	Birth	Death	Occupation	Notable work
Marius Barbeau	Canada	5 March 1883	27 February 1969	Ethnographer	Downfall of Temlaham
Daniel E. Barbey	United States	23 December 1889	11 March 1969	Naval Officer	MacArthur's Amphibious Navy
Emilio Bigi	Paraguay	1 July 1910	28 May 1969	Musician	Renacer guarani
Charles Brackett	United States	26 November 1892	9 March 1969	Novelist, Screenwriter
Gabriel Chevallier	France	3 May 1895	6 April 1969	Novelist	Clochemerle
Richmal Crompton	United Kingdom	15 November 1890	11 January 1969	Writer, Teacher	Just William series
Max Eastman	United States	4 January 1883	25 March 1969	Writer	Reflections on the Failure of Socialism
Dwight D. Eisenhower	United States	14 October 1890	28 March 1969	Military Officer, statesman	Crusade in Europe
Abo El Seoud El Ebiary	Egypt	9 November 1910	17 March 1969	Playwright, songwriter	Afrita hanem
Karl Freund	Germany	16 January 1890	3 May 1969	Cinematographer, film director	The Mummy
Rómulo Gallegos	Venezuela	2 August 1884	5 April 1969	Novelist, politician	Doña Bárbara
Wendell Hall	United States	23 August 1896	2 April 1969	Singer-songwriter	It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo'
Karl Jaspers	Germany	23 February 1883	26 February 1969	Psychiatrist, Philosopher	General Psychopathology
Jimmy McHugh	United States	10 July 1894	23 May 1969	Composer	South American Way
Meher Baba	India	25 February 1894	31 January 1969	Mystic	God Speaks
Ben Shahn	United States	12 September 1898	14 March 1969	Artist	Jersey Homesteads Mural
Osbert Sitwell	United Kingdom	6 December 1892	4 May 1969	Writer	Before the Bombardment
John Wyndham	United Kingdom	10 July 1903	11 March 1969	Science-Fiction Writer	The Day of the Triffids, The Midwich Cuckoos

Entering the public domain in Australia

In 2004 copyright in Australia changed from a "plus 50" law to a "plus 70" law, in line with America and the European Union. But the change was not made retroactive (unlike the 1995 change in the European Union which bought some e.g. British authors back into copyright, especially those who died from 1925 to 1944). Hence the work of an author who died before 1955 is normally in the public domain in Australia; but the copyright of authors was extended to 70 years after death for those who died in 1955 or later, and no more Australian authors will come out of copyright until 1 January 2026 (those who died in 1955).

Unpublished works by authors who died in 1949 will enter the public domain. ^[3] Any published literary, artistic, dramatic, or musical work (other than computer programs) by a not generally known author (anonymous or pseudonymous) from 1949 will enter the public domain.

Entering the public domain in the United States

No United States audio recordings will enter the public domain (as those before 1972 were covered by state laws only), but international audio recordings published in 1924 enter the public domain. All sheet music published in 1924 enter the public domain. Under the Music Modernization Act, United States audio recordings published in 1924 will enter the public domain in 2025.

Under the Copyright Term Extension Act, books published in 1924, films released in 1924, and other works published in 1924, will enter the public domain in 2020.^[4]

Unpublished works whose authors died in 1949 will enter the public domain.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Undelete in 2020.

• 1949 in literature and 1969 in literature for deaths of writers
• Public Domain Day
• Creative Commons

References