Popeye Without Spinach, Mickey Mouse Without Gloves? Copyright Terms And The Public Domain

While copyright protection grants authors the exclusive right to exploit their creations, this protection is not indefinite. At the end of the term determined by the legislation of each country, the financial rights granted to the author expire and the work enters the public domain. The public domain process ensures that works become part of the collective heritage and thus continue to freely evolve and live on for generations. In this way, numerous masterpieces, from world classics to the compositions of Beethoven and Mozart to groundbreaking works of art such as the Mona Lisa, continue to inspire new generations as the common heritage of humanity.

Although the concept of public domain is philosophically highly inspiring, it is usually brought to the public agenda today with news about the expiry of the copyright term for well-known works. For example, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's unforgettable work 'The Little Prince' became public domain as of 1 January 2015,