From "A Farewell to Arms" to the cartoon character Popeye the Sailor, thousands of artistic works will enter the public domain in the United States on Wednesday.&nbsp;
US copyright law expires after 95 years for books, films and other works of art, while sound recordings from 1924 will also be copyright-free.
By entering the public domain, the pieces can be copied, shared, reproduced, or adapted by anyone without paying the rights owner.
This year's crop includes internationally recognized figures such as the comic character Tintin, who made his debut in a Belgian newspaper in 1929, and Popeye the Sailor, created by cartoonist Elzie Crisler Segar.&nbsp;
Every December, the Center for the Study of the Public Domain publishes a list of the cultural works that lose their copyright in the new year.
The center, part of the Duke University School of Law in the southeastern US state of North Carolina, makes the list available on its website for anyone to peruse.
"In past years we have celebrated an exciting cast of public domain characters: the original Mickey Mouse and Winnie-the-Pooh, and the final iterations of Sherlock Holmes from Arthur Conan Doyle's stories," center director Jennifer Jenkins wrote on its website.
"In 2025 copyright expires over more aspects of Mickey from his 1929 incarnations, along with the initial versions of Popeye and Tintin."
Among the literary works entering the US public domain on January 1 are the novels "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner, "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway, "A Room of One's Own" by Virginia Woolf, and the first English translation of "All Quiet on the Western Front" by the German author Erich Maria Remarque.
Films that will be in the public domain include Blackmail, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and The Black Watch, the first sound film by Oscar-winning director John Ford.
Musical compositions published in 1929, such as "Bolero" by French composer Maurice Ravel and "An American in Paris" by George Gershwin, will lose their copyrights, though only recordings from 1924 or earlier will be in the public domain.

US copyright law expires after 95 years for books, films, and other works of art, while sound recordings from 1924 will also be copyright-free. The pieces can now be copied, shared, reproduced, or adapted by anyone without paying the rights owner.

From "A Farewell to Arms" to the cartoon character Popeye the Sailor, thousands of artistic works will enter the public domain in the United States on Wednesday. US copyright law expires after 95 years for books, films and other works of art, while sound recordings from 1924 will also be copyright-free. By entering the public domain, the pieces can be copied, shared, reproduced, or adapted by anyone without paying the rights owner. This year's crop includes internationally recognized figures such as the comic character Tintin, who made his debut in a Belgian newspaper in 1929, and Popeye the Sailor, created by cartoonist Elzie Crisler Segar. Every December, the Center for the Study of the Public Domain publishes a list of the cultural works that lose their copyright in the new year. The center, part of the Duke University School of Law in the southeastern US state of North Carolina, makes the list available on its website for anyone to peruse. "In past years we have celebrated an exciting cast of public domain characters: the original Mickey Mouse and Winnie-the-Pooh, and the final iterations of Sherlock Holmes from Arthur Conan Doyle's stories," center director Jennifer Jenkins wrote on its website. "In 2025 copyright expires over more aspects of Mickey from his 1929 incarnations, along with the initial versions of Popeye and Tintin." Among the literary works entering the US public domain on January 1 are the novels "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner, "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway, "A Room of One's Own" by Virginia Woolf, and the first English translation of "All Quiet on the Western Front" by the German author Erich Maria Remarque. Films that will be in the public domain include Blackmail, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and The Black Watch, the first sound film by Oscar-winning director John Ford. Musical compositions published in 1929, such as "Bolero" by French composer Maurice Ravel and "An American in Paris" by George Gershwin, will lose their copyrights, though only recordings from 1924 or earlier will be in the public domain.

Tintin, Popeye, Hemingway among US copyrights expiring in 2025

Iconic comic book series Tintin has landed itself in a controversy over the new updated content of its book Tintin in Congo. The book, for years, has been questioned for its racist content and has been recently updated keeping in mind the criticism that it has faced for so many years. The book by Belgian comic strip artist Herge, the second volume of The Adventures of Tintin, was first published in 1931. But over the years it has been widely criticised over its colonialist depiction of Africans. 
 
The Belgian Congo -- comprising most of present-day Republic of Congo -- was then a colony of the European country, becoming independent&nbsp;in 1960. In the comic,&nbsp;Tintin, an intrepid reporter, travels to Belgian Congo to report on events there leading to encounters with native people, wild animals and an American diamond-smuggling gangster. 
 
Over recent decades, the comic strip has become increasingly controversial, with critics pointing to its racist and colonialist treatment of the local population.

The new edition, launched in November together with two other books in the Tintin series, carries a preface explaining the colonial context of the time.

It also contains tweaks to the story. At one point, Tintin teaches an African child mathematics, whereas in the original he teaches the child that its home nation is Belgium. 
 
The cover was also changed from the original, showing Tintin facing off against a lion, whereas before he was sitting with a black child. 
 
"This volume goes back to a time, that is thankfully over, where it was acceptable to consider blacks as inferior," said Patrick Lozes, founder of CRAN, a federation of anti-racism associations to AFP. 
 
He welcomed the addition of the preface, which he said went "in the right direction". 
 
The preface, written by Philippe Goddin -- head of the Friends of Herge association -- is mostly concerned with defending the record of Tintin's creator in terms of racism.&nbsp; 
 
"He defended himself vigorously against that charge," he wrote. "He happily mocked everybody, whites and blacks." 
 
In an interview with AFP Goddin said&nbsp;"there is a thin line between caricature and racism, he did not cross that line". 
 
Pascal Blanchard, a historian of colonialist propaganda, said he was "surprised" that the publishers did not make a special announcement of the changes, and that the new preface was not mentioned on the cover.&nbsp;He called the preface "highly debatable". 
Claims that Herge's work had simply been a reflection of his time were "facile and false", he said. 
 
Herge himself admitted in 1975 that all he knew about the Belgian Congo was "what people talked about" at the time, saying: "I drew Africans in the pure spirit of paternalism that was prevalent back then." 
 
Herge is considered as one of the leading cartoonists of the 20th century, with a unique style that influenced many artists, including pop artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. 
 
Tintin's adventures have been translated into 130 languages, sold 260 million copies and been made into TV shows and a Hollywood film. 
 
(With agency inputs)

Iconic comic book series Tintin has landed itself in a controversy over the new updated content of its book Tintin in Congo. The book, for years, has been questioned for its racist content and has been recently updated keeping in mind the criticism that it has faced for so many years.

Iconic comic book series Tintin has landed itself in a controversy over the new updated content of its book Tintin in Congo. The book, for years, has been questioned for its racist content and has been recently updated keeping in mind the criticism that it has faced for so many years. The book by Belgian comic strip artist Herge, the second volume of The Adventures of Tintin, was first published in 1931. But over the years it has been widely criticised over its colonialist depiction of Africans. The Belgian Congo -- comprising most of present-day Republic of Congo -- was then a colony of the European country, becoming independent in 1960. In the comic, Tintin, an intrepid reporter, travels to Belgian Congo to report on events there leading to encounters with native people, wild animals and an American diamond-smuggling gangster. Over recent decades, the comic strip has become increasingly controversial, with critics pointing to its racist and colonialist treatment of the local population. The new edition, launched in November together with two other books in the Tintin series, carries a preface explaining the colonial context of the time. It also contains tweaks to the story. At one point, Tintin teaches an African child mathematics, whereas in the original he teaches the child that its home nation is Belgium. The cover was also changed from the original, showing Tintin facing off against a lion, whereas before he was sitting with a black child. "This volume goes back to a time, that is thankfully over, where it was acceptable to consider blacks as inferior," said Patrick Lozes, founder of CRAN, a federation of anti-racism associations to AFP. He welcomed the addition of the preface, which he said went "in the right direction". The preface, written by Philippe Goddin -- head of the Friends of Herge association -- is mostly concerned with defending the record of Tintin's creator in terms of racism. "He defended himself vigorously against that charge," he wrote. "He happily mocked everybody, whites and blacks." In an interview with AFP Goddin said "there is a thin line between caricature and racism, he did not cross that line". Pascal Blanchard, a historian of colonialist propaganda, said he was "surprised" that the publishers did not make a special announcement of the changes, and that the new preface was not mentioned on the cover. He called the preface "highly debatable". Claims that Herge's work had simply been a reflection of his time were "facile and false", he said. Herge himself admitted in 1975 that all he knew about the Belgian Congo was "what people talked about" at the time, saying: "I drew Africans in the pure spirit of paternalism that was prevalent back then." Herge is considered as one of the leading cartoonists of the 20th century, with a unique style that influenced many artists, including pop artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. Tintin's adventures have been translated into 130 languages, sold 260 million copies and been made into TV shows and a Hollywood film. (With agency inputs)

Tintin comic updates its book after facing criticism over racist content

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Tintin, Popeye, Hemingway among US copyrights expiring in 2025

Tintin comic updates its book after facing criticism over racist content