“The Beloved Adventurers Break Free: Popeye and Tintin Enter the Public Domain!”

**Public Domain Update: Thousands of Works Enter the Public Domain in 2023**

As we usher in the new year, a treasure trove of creative works are now available for the public to use and enjoy free from copyright restrictions. The public domain is a repository of creative works that are no longer protected by copyright law, allowing anyone to access, use, and build upon them without needing permission or paying royalties. This year, thousands of works created in 1929, including the earliest versions of beloved characters like Popeye and Tintin, have entered the public domain in the United States.

**A Pivotal Year for Film**

1929 was a groundbreaking year for film, marking the first year of the “talkies,” or films with synchronized dialogue, music, and sound effects. According to the Duke Law School’s Center for the Study of Public Domain, this milestone year is deeply connected to the expansion of the public domain. The Center’s annual list of public domain works includes a collection of iconic movies, songs, and other creative works that have fallen out of copyright.

**Works Available in the Public Domain**

Some of the notable works now available in the public domain include:

* The earliest version of Popeye, created by E.C. Segar in the comic strip “Thimble Theatre,” which first appeared in a 1929 story titled “Gobs of Work.”
* The young reporter Tintin and his pup Snowy (or “Milou” in French) from Hergé’s “Les Aventures de Tintin” (The Adventures of Tintin).
* Sound recordings from 1924, a wide range of movies from 1929, and many others.

**Important Dates and Cutoffs**

Some other important dates and cutoffs to keep in mind:

* The public domain for works within the United States
* European Union copyright law requires works to be in public domain for the author’s life plus 70 years.
* The updated Disney animated works including a renowned cartoon called, “The Karnival Kid,” which started public domain usage in 2025 due to this new cutoff.
* This was necessitated by the 1998 US copyright Bill which gave monetary, and labeling clear protections in movies and cartoons from before 1929 hence making wealthy multi millionaires rich billionaires ,the cloth lovers fier will likely fight to longer protect this because it assets remain valuables property and reorder some higher produce.