Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, soon Superman: When characters enter the public domain, anything goes

When familiar characters enter the public domain, anyone is free to use them, resulting in strange adaptations such as the slasher-film "Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey."

We were already living in an era teeming with remixes and repurposing, fan fictions and mashups. Then began a parade of characters and stories, led by Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse with many more to follow, marching into the public domain, where anyone can shape something into new stories and ideas.

After a two-decade drought brought on by congressional extensions of the copyright period in 1998, works again began entering the public domain — becoming available for use without licensing or payment — in 2019. The public began to notice in 2022, when Winnie the Pooh was freed for use as the 95-year copyright period elapsed on the novel that introduced him. That made possible "Blood and Honey" a sequel, which dropped last month, a forthcoming third, and plans for a "Poohniverse" of twisted public domain characters including Bambi and Pinocchio.