These new works enter the public domain now that 2025 has officially begun
CBSN
The first of January ushers in a new year, a new month and new entries to the list of works in the public domain. While 2024 saw many popular intellectual properties lose copyright protection — notably the first iteration of Mickey Mouse — 2025 is not without its fair share of noteworthy additions. As of Jan. 1, 2025, several iconic books and characters are now freely available for public use, from Ernest Hemingway's "A Farewell to Arms" to the original Popeye.
Works from 1929 and sound recordings from 1924 are now open to all in the U.S. This means all books, films, songs and art published throughout the Roaring 20s are without copyright protection, making 2025 a significant year for the public domain.
The man who plowed a truck into a crowd of people in New Orleans on New Year's Day posted audio recordings online in early 2024 expressing his religious beliefs and describing music as the "voice of Satan." He made no mention, however, of plans for violence or affiliations with extremist groups in the recordings.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and other federal agencies have warned about the risk of "copycat or retaliatory attacks" after a man drove a rented pickup truck through a crowd of New Year's revelers on New Orleans' Bourbon Street, killing 14 people before he was shot dead in a firefight with police.