Currently, most artistic works (books, movies, songs, etc.), are subject to copyright, that is,
they cannot be used or adapted without the authorization of their authors, companies or
family members owning the rights to them.

Although, every year, several works fall into the public domain, which means that they can
be used without the consent of the author or the consent of the right’s owner, as long as
moral rights are respected.

This is because most copyrights expire 70 years after the author's death; however, these
years may vary according to the intellectual property regulations of each country.

An example of the foregoing are some specific exceptions, where the public domain will not
apply, as in the case of the rights of Peter Pan in the United Kingdom, which will be
permanently assigned to the Great Ormond Hospital in London; The Diary of Anne Frank,
which has a special consideration in Holland or in France, with a special protection.

However, it can be observed that the passage of time also brings benefits, therefore, this
January 1 we celebrate not only the beginning of 2023, but also that several works of
outstanding authors passed into the public domain. Such is the case of:

Cinema
● 'Metropolis': mythical silent science fiction film. Directed by Fritz Lang.
● 'The Jazz Singer': first film with synchronized sound and dialogue.
● 'Wings': American silent drama-war film. First to win the Oscar for best picture.

Literature
● Virginia Woolf, 'To the Lighthouse': included among the best English-language novels
of the 20th century.
● Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Sherlock Holmes Archive': from this year all the works of
the renowned private detective become part of the public domain.
● Ernest Hemingway, 'Men Without Women': second collection of short stories written
and inspiration for Haruki Murakami's book.
● Marcel Proust, 'Le Temps retrouvé': the last part of 'In Search of Lost Time', in
original French.
● Miguel Hernández: Spanish poet and playwright of special relevance in 20th century
Spanish literature. Generation of '27 and '36.