Betty Boop and Nancy Drew Enter Public Domain in 2026

Creators gain free access to cultural icons including Betty Boop and Blondie after their 95-year copyright terms expired on January 1, 2026.The annual transition also includes the first books of Nancy Drew, Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon", and literary classics such as William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying".Duke University expert Jennifer Jenkins noted that while these 1930 versions are now public, artists must still respect existing trademarks for modern iterations.