On Jan. 1, “The Great Gatsby” will enter the public domain, making its text free for any American to read—and to remix into new creations. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel will have countless companions on the day copyright protection expires for works created in 1925. That itself followed a 1976 statute that also retroactively extended copyright protection for existing works while granting longer terms to new ones. And they can seek other forms of copyright protection, such as a statute setting up a small-claims court for infringement claims within the U.S. Letting art exit copyright and enter the public domain doesn’t just benefit fans looking for a guilt-free download.

Source: Forbes December 24, 2020 23:15 UTC