10 Characters You Didn’t Know Were in the Public Domain

In the modern age of legal parameters and intense copyright restrictions, it is unsurprising that the vast majority of characters who grace our screens are ferociously protected by a web of intellectual property laws. However, the public domain hosts multiple characters that have become famous figures of the screen throughout the past century, ranging from beloved literary characters to movie creations from the golden age of filmmaking and even a few comic book heroes.

Typically, characters enter the public domain when the copyrights that were secured for the characters – and the companies that own them – expire, something which will soon happen for the Steamboat Willie iteration of Disney’s iconic cartoon character, Mickey Mouse. While it seems unlikely that Mickey will receive the treatment that Winnie the Pooh did with the horror flick Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, the freedom all creators have with such public domain characters leads to some fascinating eventualities.

10 James Bond

First Movie: ‘Dr. No’ (1962)

There have been many cinematic icons throughout film history, but few – if any – can lay claim to being as renowned and celebrated as James Bond. With the James Bond franchise consisting of 27 films dating back to the early 60s, the spy with a license to kill has been an ever-present feature of the screen for over half a century, helping not only pioneer but evolve and expand the action cinema throughout that time.

007 entered the public domain in 2015, but with one major caveat: only in Canada and under very specific circumstances. The character’s book counterpart is in the Canadian public domain, meaning people can use him without fear of repercussions. However, the film equivalent of Bond and all its characters are still protected by copyright; thus, Canadians can use Ian Fleming‘s lore freely, but not anything derived from it in movies or television. Furthermore, Bond’s books are still protected in the US and Europe.

Buy James Bond Movies at the 007 Store in the United States and Canada.

Buy at the 007 Store

9 John Carter

First Movie: ‘John Carter’ (2012)

A great hero in literature and even comic books, the John Carter stories tell a wonderful tale that blends fantasy and science-fiction, following its titular hero as he is teleported to Mars and becomes a key figure in an intergalactic conflict. Attempts to revitalize the brand by bringing it to the screen have been admirably executed, but woefully received by fans with 2012’s John Carter infamously becoming one of the biggest box office bombs in cinematic history.

The character was conceived in the 1911 novel A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, a novel that is currently in the public domain. The book introduces John Carter and many of his core supporting cast, meaning these characters exist in the public domain, even if the rights for film and television are still with the Edgar Rice Burroughs State. Furthermore, the ERB holds a trademark over “John Carter” and “Barsoom,” which is why they could sue Dynamite Comics in 2012 for trademark infringement.

John Carter is streaming on Disney+.

Watch on Disney+

8 Zorro

First Movie: ‘The Mark of Zorro’ (1920)

A dashing, roguish masked hero who first became a hit in the 1919 pulp magazine All-Story Weekly, Zorro’s swashbuckling antics made for one of the first cinematic heroes to have graced the screens, and he has been a prolific screen presence ever since. Most modern audiences would likely associate Antonio Banderas as the character, playing him in Martin Campbell‘s 1998 adaptation of the story, The Mask of Zorro.

Unlike some other characters, Zorro’s existence in the public domain is irrefutable. In 2001, Sony Pictures tried to sue Fireworks Entertainment for copyright infringement; however, a judge denied a Preliminary Injunction because Zorro has been in the public domain since 1995. Multiple reboots of the character are currently in the works, including a Disney+ Zorro series.

The Mask of Zorro is available to rent on Apple TV.

Rent on Apple TV

7 The Phantom of the Opera

First Movie: ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ (1925)

Discounting the 1916 German film Das Phantom der Opera which is considered to be a lost picture now, Gaston Leroux‘s famous 1910 novel was first adapted for the screen when silent film legend Lon Chaney portrayed the titular terror in 1925’s The Phantom of the Opera. The story has been adapted plenty of times in the years since, from Brian de Palma‘s loosely adapted rock musical Phantom of the Paradise to Joel Schumacher‘s 2004 iteration of Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s acclaimed stage musical.

A major reason for all these adaptations and re-inventions is that The Phantom of the Opera has been in the public domain since 1952. This means the film’s version of the character also technically exists in the public domain, marking one of the rare Universal Monsters that the studio doesn’t have sole control over.

The Phantom of the Opera is available to rent on Apple TV.

Rent on Apple TV

6 Ichabod Crane

First Movie: ‘The Headless Horseman’ (1922)

A renowned character in literature as the de-facto protagonist of Washington Irving‘s 1820 short story “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” the frightful and clumsy Ichabod Crane has been realized on the screen many times since he first appeared in the 1922 silent film The Headless Horseman. The dark fantasy allure and mystery intrigue of Irving’s tale has seen the character and the premise transfer seamlessly to horror cinema, but it has also thrived in Disney animation as well.

Irving’s story has been in the public domain for years, meaning Crane is also available for creators to adapt. The character appears in most adaptations of the popular story, usually as the protagonist. However, his profession has changed over time, from a schoolteacher to a doctor and even a deputy.

Sleepy Hollow is streaming on Max.

Watch on Max

5 Felix the Cat

First Appearance: ‘Feline Follies’ (1919)

Created during the silent film era, Felix the Cat is cinema’s first recognizable and fully realized animal character. Felix starred in many vintage cartoons produced in the 1920s, although his popularity waned with the arrival of sound and the expansion of animation within cinema, with the arrival of characters like Mickey Mouse dominating the medium. Felix saw a resurgence thanks to the 1958 cartoon series, which introduced a new design for the cat and his now-famous magic bag of tricks.

Felix’s early shorts, including his first appearance in the 1919 short Feline Follies as “Major Tom,” are in the public domain. However, the modernized and more instantly recognizable version of the character – the one with the magic bag of tricks and a shorter, stubbier form – is owned by Universal.

Felix the Cat is streaming on Tubi.

Watch on Tubi

4 Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit

First Appearance: ‘Trolley Trouble’ (1927)

One of the most recent additions to the public domain library is Disney’s once-beloved but now rather obscure animated creation Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit. The character debuted in the silent era shorts which rose to prominence in the late 20s, with Oswald appearing as one of the first animated animals with a distinct personality. However, Disney lost control of Oswald as an entertainment entity to Universal in 1928, leading the studio to create Mickey Mouse to compensate for the loss.

As of January 1, 2023, Oswald’s early shorts, including his first appearance in the 1927 short Trolley Troubles, are in the public domain. In addition to the attention the character received having been entered into the public domain, Disney also produced a new Oswald cartoon to commemorate the studio’s centenary, meaning the character has experienced something of a resurgence in recent years.

Trolley Troubles is streaming on Disney+.

Watch on Disney+

3 Maschinenmensch

First Movie: ‘Metropolis’ (1927)

One of the most iconic films ever made, Metropolis is an achievement of early cinema which has become a timeless classic as one of the first sci-fi films ever made and a brilliantly effective installment of the silent film era. Set in a dystopian future world where society is divided by class status, it focuses on a member of the privileged class who falls in love with a working-class leader, inspiring him to turn to a brilliant but radical scientist to help bring an end to the segregation.

The Fritz Lang movie remains an acclaimed masterpiece of great influence and features one of the most recognizable characters that cinema has ever seen in Maschinenmensch, a female android who was one of the first robotic entities ever displayed in film. On January 1, 2023, Metropolis entered the public domain, making the imposing robotic figure available for free use.

Metropolis is streaming on Tubi.

Watch on Tubi

2 King Kong

First Movie: ‘King Kong’ (1933)

King Kong is arguably cinema’s most famous monster. The Eighth Wonder of the World has appeared in numerous films throughout the years, starting with his debut in RKO’s now-iconic 1933 game-changing picture King Kong. Remarkably versatile, King Kong has been depicted as a villain and a victim, while recent portrayals usually see him as a tragic hero.

King Kong’s first appearance was in the novelization of the RKO picture, published months before the film’s release. Because its rights were not renewed, the novel is now in the public domain, meaning some elements of the King Kong story are also part of it. However, as chronicled in the book Living Dangerously: The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong, the 1933 movie isn’t in the public domain yet, and the trademark rights to Kong himself are not owned by any single party, considering the character originated from multiple sources.

King Kong is available to rent on Apple TV.

Rent on Apple TV

1 Sherlock Holmes

First Movie: ‘Sherlock Holmes’ (1916)

Quite possibly the single most famous fictional character ever created, Sherlock Holmes serves as the heroic sleuth who began as the focus of Arthur Conan Doyle’s short stories, with 1887’s “A Study in Scarlet” marking his debut. The character made his first-ever cinematic appearance in the 1916 silent film Sherlock Holmes which, up until 2014, was thought to be lost.

Basil Rathbone also portrayed Holmes in a series of 14 films between 1939 and 1946 while Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch are among the more notable actors to have played the consulting detective in more recent times. As of January 1, 2023, every single story about Sherlock Holmes that Arthur Conan Doyle wrote is unambiguously in the public domain. – Ryan Heffernan

Sherlock Holmes is streaming on Kanopy.

Watch on Kanopy

NEXT: The Best Movies in the Public Domain, According to IMDb