2020 In Public Domain

The following is a list of creators whose works enter the public domain in 2020. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works is not uniform.

With the exception of Belarus (Life + 50 years) 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 at the end of the calendar year following 70 years after the creator's death, if it was published during the creator's lifetime. Russia has a 4-year extension to Life+ 70 (in essence Life+74) for authors who worked during World War II in the Soviet Union. 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
Hervey Allen	United States	8 December 1889	28 December 1949	Author	Anthony Adverse
Masaharu Anesaki	Japan	25 July 1873	23 July 1949	Historian	History of Japanese Religion
Mary Antin	United States	13 June 1881	15 May 1949	Writer	The Promised Land
Josef Maria Auchentaller	Austria	2 August 1865	31 December 1949	Artist	Bunte Bände
Alice Bailey	United States	16 June 1880	15 December 1949	Writer	Works
Rodolfo Garcia (pt)	Brazil	25 May 1873	14 November 1949	Historian
Hassan al-Banna	Egypt	14 October 1906	12 February 1949	imam	Mudhakkirât al-da'wa wa al-dâ'iya
Philip Barry	United States	18 June 1896	3 December 1949	Playwright	Holiday
Billy Baskette	United States	20 October 1884	8 November 1949	Pianist, composer	Good Bye Broadway, Hello France
Rex Beach	United States	1 September 1877	7 December 1949	Writer, Olympic athlete	The Spoilers
H. Bedford-Jones	United States	29 April 1887	6 May 1949	Writer	The John Solomon series
Khalil Beidas	Palestine	1874	1949	novelist	Works
Federico Beltrán Masses	Spain	8 September 1885	4 October 1949	Painter
Friedrich Bergius	Germany	11 October 1884	30 March 1949	Chemist	Bergius process
Elsa Bernstein	Austria	28 October 1866	2 July 1949	Writer	Königskinder
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
Henriëtte Blaauw [nl]	Netherlands	5 February 1875	15 February 1949	Writer
Gustavus M. Blech	United States	28 November 1870	9 August 1949	Physician	Practical Suggestions in Borderland Surgery
Leonard Bloomfield	United States	1 April 1887	18 April 1949	Linguist	Selected publications
George Botsford	United States	24 February 1874	1 February 1949	Composer
Robert Boudrioz	France	12 February 1887	22 June 1949	Film director, screenwriter	The Man with a Broken Ear
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
Harry Burleigh	United States	2 December 1866	12 September 1949	Composer, singer	settings of spirituals
Helen Churchill Candee	United States	5 October 1858	23 August 1949	Writer, feminist	Angkor the Magnificent
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
Dorothea Conyers	Ireland	11 November 1869	25 May 1949	Novelist
Will Cuppy	United States	23 August 1884	19 September 1949	Humorist	How to be a Hermit
Stoyan Danev	Bulgaria	28 January 1858	30 July 1949	Jurist and politician
Norman Davey	United Kingdom	5 May 1888	6 June 1949	Engineer, Writer	The Pilgrim of a Smile
Edgar De Lange	United States	12 January 1904	13 July 1949	Composer
Félix d'Herelle	France	25 April 1873	22 February 1949	Microbiologist	Published works
Georgi Dimitrov	Bulgaria	18 June 1882	2 July 1949	Politician, revolutionary	Georgi Dimitrov bibliography
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
Alexander Drankov	Russia   Soviet Union	18 January 1886	3 January 1949	photographer, cameraman, film producer
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 [fi]	Finland	16 September 1877	1 March 1949	novelist	Silkkilaiva
James Ensor	Belgium	13 April 1860	19 November 1949	Artist	Christ's Entry Into Brussels in 1889
Herbert Eulenberg	Germany	25 January 1876	4 September 1949	Writer	Schattenbilder. Eine Fibel für Kulturbedürftige in Deutschland
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 [ru]	Russia	11 December 1903	20 January 1949	Poet	Song about Shchors
Ángel González Palencia [es]	Spain	4 September 1889	30 October 1949	Orientalist	El amor entre los musulmanes españoles, El tesoro de los Nazaríes
Hari Singh Gour	India	26 November 1870	25 December 1949	Jurist, educator, writer	The Penal Law of India
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
Joan Lamote de Grignon	Spain	7 July 1872	11 March 1949	Composer	La nit de Nadal
George Gurdjieff	Armenia	13 January 1866	29 October 1949	spiritual teacher	The Herald of Coming Good
František Halas	Czech Republic	3 October 1901	27 October 1949	Poet, translator
Fritz Hart	United Kingdom	11 February 1874	9 July 1949	Composer, conductor
Syed Zafarul Hasan	Pakistan	14 February 1885	19 June 1949	Philosopher	Realism
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
Josep Maria Jujol	Spain	16 September 1879	1 May 1949	Architect	Casa Batlló, Park Güell
Oskar Jellinek [de]	Austria	22 January 1886	12 October 1949	Writer	Die Mutter der Neun
Clarence Jones	United States	1889	1 June 1949	Composer
Pierre Jouguet	France	14 May 1869	9 July 1949	Egyptologist	Works
Unno Juza	Japan	26 December 1897	17 May 1949	Writer of science fiction
Anna Karima	Bulgaria	1871	6 March 1949	Writer and translator
Selâhattin Kantar	Turkey	1878	17 November 1949	playwright	Kara Dana
Hans Kindler	United States	8 January 1892	30 August 1949	Conductor, cellist, arranger of music	Recordings
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
József Koszta	Hungary	27 March 1861	29 July 1949	Painter	Girl with Geraniums
Fritz Krischen	Germany	26 December 1881	15 July 1949	Archaeologist, Architect	Die Stadtmauern von Pompeji und griechische Festungsbaukunst in Unteritalien und Sizilien
August Krogh	Denmark	15 November 1874	13 September 1949	Zoologist	The Respiratory Exchange of Animals and Man
Albert Christian Kruyt	Netherlands	10 October 1869	19 January 1949	Ethnographer	The Bare'e speaking Toraja of Central Sulawesi
Lead Belly	United States	20 January 1888	6 December 1949	Musician, songwriter	Goodnight, Irene
Vasily Lebedev-Kumach	Russia	5 August 1898	20 February 1949	Poet	The Sacred War
Fidelio Ponce de León	Cuba	24 January 1895	19 February 1949	Painter	Niňos
Ernst Lommatzsch	Germany	18 August 1871	5 April 1949	Classical scholar	Corpus inscriptionum latinarum: Vol. 1. Inscriptiones Latinae antiquissimae
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
Antonio Machado	Spain	26 July 1875	22 February 1939	Poet	Works
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
Jane Mander	New Zealand	9 April 1877	20 December 1949	Novelist	The Story of a New Zealand River
Klaus Mann	Germany	18 November 1906	21 May 1949	Novelist	Mephisto
J. C. Mardrus	France	1868	1949	Orientalist	Works
Paul Marc	Germany	23 December 1877	23 September 1949	Byzantine scholar	Die hellenistisch-jüdische Literatur
Wilhelm von Massow	Germany	12 March 1891	21 April 1949	Archaeologist	Das römische Trier
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
Vladimir Nazor	Croatia	30 May 1876	19 June 1949	Poet, politician
Makino Nobuaki	Japan	24 November 1861	25 January 1949	Statesman	Makino Nobuaki nikki
Vítězslav Novák	Czech Republic	5 December 1870	18 July 1949	Composer	Bouře
Carlos Obligado	Argentina	21 May 1889	3 February 1949	Writer, critic	March of the Malvinas
Sidney Olcott	Canada	20 September 1872	16 December 1949	Film director	The Pony Express
Francesco Pasinetti	Italy	1 June 1911	2 April 1949	Film Director, screenwriter	The Canal of the Angels
Elin Pelin	Bulgaria	8 July 1877	3 December 1949	Writer
Una Pope-Hennessy	United Kingdom	21 April 1875	16 August 1949	Historian	Secret Societies and the French Revolution
Camillo Praschniker	Austria	13 October 1884	1 October 1949	Archaeologist	Archäologische Forschungen in Albanien und Montenegro
Guillermo Tell Villegas Pulido	Venezuela	28 July 1854	25 July 1949	politician	Works
Alfred Rehder	United States	4 September 1863	25 July 1949	Botanist	Manual of Cultivated Trees and Shrubs, Hardy in North America
Albert Rehm	Germany	15 June 1871	31 July 1949	Classical scholar	Mythographische Untersuchungen über griechische Sternsagen
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
E. Robert Schmitz	France	8 February 1889	5 September 1949	Composer	The Piano works of Claude Debussy
Paul Schultze-Naumburg	Germany	10 June 1869	19 May 1949	Architect	Die Kunst der Deutschen. Ihr Wesen und ihre Werke
Alexey Shchusev	Russia	8 October 1873	24 May 1949	Architect	Lenin's Mausoleum
Nikos Skalkottas	Greece	21 March 1904	19 September 1949	Composer	List of compositions by Nikos Skalkottas
G. E. M. Skues	United Kingdom	13 August 1858	9 August 1949	Writer, fly fisherman	The Way of a Trout with the Fly
Frank Smythe	United Kingdom	6 July 1900	27 June 1949	Mountaineer, author, photographer	The Kangchenjunga Adventure
Edith Somerville	Ireland	2 May 1858	8 October 1949	Novelist	The Irish R.M.
Otto Stählin	Germany	22 January 1868	14 June 1949	Classical scholar	Die hellenistisch-jüdische Literatur
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 Torres-García	Uruguay	28 July 1874	8 August 1949	Artist, writer
Gancho Tsenov	Bulgaria	6 June 1870	1949	Historian
Joaquín Turina	Spain	9 December 1882	14 January 1949	Composer	Danzas fantásticas
Uemura Shōen	Japan	23 April 1875	27 August 1949	Artist	Jo-no-mai
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
Raimond Valgre	Estonia	31 October 1913	31 December 1949	composer, musician
Josef Velenovský	Czech Republic	22 April 1858	7 May 1949	botanist	Works
Oswald Garrison Villard	United States	13 March 1872	1 October 1949	Journalist, civil rights activist	John Brown 1800-1859: A Biography Fifty Years After
Rosy Wertheim	Netherlands	19 February 1888	27 May 1949	Composer
Elin Wägner	Sweden	16 May 1882	7 January 1949	Novelist	The Penholder
Lee "Lasses" White	United States	28 August 1888	16 December 1949	Pianist, songwriter, actor
E. H. Young	United Kingdom	21 March 1880	8 August 1949	Novelist and children's writer
Arthur Leo Zagat	United States	15 February 1896	3 April 1949	Writer, lawyer
Nikola Zhekov	Bulgaria	6 January 1864	1 November 1949	General	Memoirs
Oton Župančič	Slovenia	23 January 1878	11 June 1949	Writer, translator	Ciciban

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

Names	Country	Birth	Death	Occupation	Notable work
Alejandro G. Abadilla	Philippines	10 March 1906	26 August 1969	Writer	Ako ang Daigdig
Sargis Abrahamyan	Armenia	28 December 1915	15 June 1969	Writer	With Generations
Theodor W. Adorno	Germany	11 September 1903	6 August 1969	Philosopher	Theodor W. Adorno bibliography
Ricardo Aguirre	Venezuela	9 May 1939	8 November 1969	Singer, Composer	La Grey Zuliana
Ignacio Aldecoa	Spain	25 July 1925	15 November 1969	Author	El fulgor y la sangre
Ikbal Ali Shah	India	12 July 1894	4 November 1969	Writer, diplomat	Afghanistan of the Afghans
Edgar Anderson	United States	9 November 1897	18 June 1969	Botanist	Introgressive Hybridization
Charlotte Armstrong	United States	2 May 1905	7 July 1969	Author	A Dram of Poison
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
Arthur K. Barnes	United States	6 December 1909	11 March 1969	Science-Fiction Writer	Works
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
Ivy Compton-Burnett	United Kingdom	5 June 1884	27 August 1969	Novelist	Manservant and Maidservant
Richmal Crompton	United Kingdom	15 November 1890	11 January 1969	Writer, Teacher	Just William series
Alexandra David-Néel	Belgium   France	24 October 1868	8 September 1969	Explorer, Spiritualist	Mystiques et magiciens du Tibet
Aleksandr Deyneka	Russia	20 May 1899	12 June 1969	Artist	The Defense of Petrograd
Otto Dix	Germany	2 December 1891	25 July 1969	Artist	The Trench
Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg	Germany	10 October 1873	5 August 1969	explorer, politician	Ins innerste Afrika
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
Olivia FitzRoy	United Kingdom	27 May 1921	24 December 1969	Author of children's books	Orders to Poach
Botong Francisco	Philippines	4 November 1912	31 March 1969	Muralist	The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines
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
Witold Gombrowicz	Poland	4 August 1904	24 July 1969	Writer, playwright	Ferdydurke
Walter Gropius	Germany	18 May 1883	5 July 1969	Architect	Bauhaus
Wendell Hall	United States	23 August 1896	2 April 1969	Singer-songwriter	It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo'
Ho Chi Minh	Vietnam	19 May 1890	2 September 1969	President	Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam
Karl Jaspers	Germany	23 February 1883	26 February 1969	Psychiatrist, Philosopher	General Psychopathology
Jack Kerouac	United States	12 March 1922	21 October 1969	Writer	On the Road
Norman Lindsay	Australia	22 February 1879	21 November 1969	Artist, Writer	The Magic Pudding
Frank Loesser	United States	29 June 1910	28 July 1969	Songwriter	Baby, It's Cold Outside, A Bushel and a Peck
Erika Mann	Germany	5 November 1905	27 August 1969	Writer, actress	Zehn Millionen Kinder. Die Erziehung der Jugend im Dritten Reich
Gavin Maxwell	United Kingdom	15 July 1914	7 September 1969	Author	Ring of Bright Water
Leo McCarey	United States	3 October 1898	5 July 1969	Film director, screenwriter	The Bells of St. Mary's
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
Mikio Naruse	Japan	20 August 1905	2 July 1969	Film director, screenwriter	Apart from You
Mutesa II of Buganda	Uganda	19 November 1924	21 November 1969	Statesman	The Desecration of My Kingdom
Seabury Quinn	United States	December 1889	24 December 1969	Author, lawyer	Roads
August Sang	Estonia	27 July 1914	14 October 1969	Poet	Üks noormees otsib õnne
Muhammad Shahidullah	Bangladesh	10 July 1885	13 July 1969	Writer, philologist	Bangla Sahityer Katha
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
Josef von Sternberg	United States	29 May 1894	22 December 1969	Film director	Shanghai Express
Leonard Woolf	United Kingdom	25 November 1880	14 August 1969	writer, publisher	The Village in the Jungle
John Wyndham	United Kingdom	10 July 1903	11 March 1969	Science-Fiction Writer	The Day of the Triffids, The Midwich Cuckoos

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 brought some European 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 entered the public domain on 1 January 2020. Any published literary, artistic, dramatic, or musical work (other than computer programs) by a not generally known author (anonymous or pseudonymous) from 1949 also entered the public domain on that date.

Works that entered the public domain on January 1, 2020, in the United States include:

• In general, works published in 1924 (including printed music). However, sound recordings that were first made prior to February 15, 1972, are treated as a special case under US copyright law, and under the Music Modernization Act, sound recordings published in 1924 will enter the public domain in 2025.
• Books, films, and other works published in 1924 (under the Copyright Term Extension Act).
• Unpublished works whose authors died in 1949.

Some of the published works that entered the public domain include the earliest sheet music for George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and Buster Keaton's silent comedy film Sherlock Jr.

Tom Lehrer

In October 2020, satirical singer/songwriter Tom Lehrer announced the release of all of his lyrics and music to the public domain.

• List of American films of 1924
• List of countries' copyright lengths
• Public Domain Day
• Creative Commons
• Public Domain
• Over 300 public domain authors available in Wikisource (any language), with descriptions from Wikidata
• 1949 in literature, 1959 in literature, 1969 in literature and 1979 in literature