Every year, certain works of art enter the public domain, and this year is no exception. But what does this mean in practice and what are the consequences when certain works enter the public domain? Once a work enters the public domain, it becomes a common cultural resource that can be freely used and adapted – without the need for permission, without paying royalties, and without the risk of copyright infringement. This freedom to use works opens up opportunities to stimulate creativity and innovation through the creation of new works.
The European Union Intellectual Property Office has set up an Out-of-Commerce Portal, which is a publicly accessible centralised platform to facilitate the exchange of information on copyrighted works that are no longer available in commerce throughout the European Union. These works include musical works, literary works, audiovisual works, works of art and photographs. This system complements the existing measures for the use of orphan works at European level, including the Orphan Works Database.
The following works of art will enter the public domain in 2026:
- George Enescu’s and Arthur Honegger’s musical compositions
- Nicolas de Staël, Max Pechstein, Maurice Utrillo and Fernand Léger’s paintings and other artistic works
- Thomas Mann’s and Concha Espina’s literary works
- Albert Einstein’s papers and publications
- Charlie Parker’s compositions