Happy 2025! What’s new in copyright?

Happy New Year and welcome to the new term at UCL!

New works in the public domain

2025 already promises to be exciting in terms of copyright. For one thing, on the first of January many new literary, artistic and musical works entered the public domain (i.e. copyright expired, making it possible to reuse these works without permission).

Please note that a work can be out of copyright in one country but still protected in other countries. In the UK and in any other country where copyright lasts for 70 years from the death of the author, the following works are now out of copyright (for a more comprehensive list, see the relevant Wikipedia page).

Artists Frida Kahlo, Henri Matisse and Andre Derain died in 1954 and, as of 1 January 2025, their works are out of copyright in the UK.  Likewise, the writings of Alan Turing, Colette and Kalki Krishnamurthy are now free of copyright restrictions in any country where the term of copyright is 70 years or more from the death of the author.

Different rules on copyright duration apply in different countries: in the US, for example, the character of Popeye, already out of copyright in the UK, entered the public domain in its native US this year.

 

For a playful approach to understanding the public domain, please visit Erica Levi’s interactive game at Coventry University.

Copyright games and online tutorials

Speaking  of playful…this year we will be building on last year’s tradition  of introducing copyright in colourful, playful and collaborative ways. We continue to offer sessions of the Copyright Dough game (developed by Katrine Sundsbø and Hannah Pyman at the University of Essex in 2019) where you have the chance to create, use (and possibly infringe) playdough creatures. If you prefer heated discussions without the playdough, the Copyright for Humans card game, offering you the chance to voice your opinions about copyright in new ways, is the right game for you. If you are interested in arranging a session to play either game, please contact copyright@ucl.ac.uk. Scheduled sessions will also be advertised soon – keep your eyes open for a public event at the Student Centre in March! Or, if you feel less sociable, take our entry-level, self-paced, Star-Wars-inspired online tutorial on copyright essentials and may the Force be with you…

 

Join our new UCL Copyright Literacy Community

Why copyright literacy? Why a community? Can an understanding of copyright make our research and learning more open and collaborative, our lives more creative and our professional activities more informed?

This blog post will not give you the answers, but joining our new UCL community on Teams will. You will have the chance to discuss rights issues with other people here at UCL, participate in events, co-create resources and enrich your CV.

Join the brand-new community on Teams.

Copyright and AI

It’s 2025: it doesn’t feel right to write about anything without mentioning AI. Have a look at our newly released guidance on copyright and GenAI and keep an eye on upcoming communications on this topic, including the government’s open consultation on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence.

To learn more about copyright

• Register to attend a training session – introductions to copyright for staff and PGRs and specialised training on publishing agreements and open licences. If you prefer, contact us to discuss a bespoke session for your department.
• Visit the UCL copyright website.
• Use our support service. For specific questions, e-mail copyright@ucl.ac.uk or schedule an appointment on Teams or in person.