Woolf’s works enter public domain

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2025

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Woolf’s works enter public domain

As the clock counted down to 2012, the estates of artists, creators, authors and composers prepared to see their incomes wane as copyright works slip out of protection

For those countries where rights holders enjoy protection for 70 years after the artist’s death ­– among them EU member states and Australia – 2012 will see works come into the public domain by British novelist Virginia Woolf, French essayist Louis Bertrand, Irish sculptor John Hughes, French painter Jean Hippolyte Marchand and Lithuanian composer Jurgis Karnavičius.

So too the works of British artist Harold Harvey and US songwriter Howard Johnson, whose works include “I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream”.

For countries whose copyright terms last 50 years after the death of the creator - including China, Japan, Hong Kong and South Africa - this year sees the works of US novelists Thomas Bell and Ernest Hemingway lose copyright, along with books and articles by psychiatrist Carl Jung.

The works of Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, who died in 1941, also come into the public domain in the EU and Australia. But in his native land, where the term is the life of the author plus 60 years, they have already been freely available for 10 years.

In India, the works of French author and Nobel prize winner André Gide, philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein and, confusingly, Rabindranath’s nephew Abanindranath Tagore, a painter and author of children’s books, all enter the public domain.

In a separate development, Laos will see a significant copyright development this year when the Berne Convention enters into force in the country on March 14. It becomes the 165th contracting party.

more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

Partners at Foley Hoag examine how recent CJEU jurisprudence may serve as a catalyst for recalibrating US judicial reluctance to entertain foreign patent claims
International law firms have high hopes for their IP practices in Saudi Arabia, with many opening offices, but recruiting and retaining talent in the Kingdom presents unique challenges
Patrick Ogola joins us for our ‘Five minutes with’ series to discuss helping African entrepreneurs on the global stage, and explains why young lawyers should speak up
Heli Pihlajamaa, the EPO’s principal director for patent law and procedures, joins us to take stock of the unitary patent following its second anniversary
Kelly Thompson, chair of South African firm Adams & Adams, discusses self-belief, self-doubt, and the importance of saying yes
The renowned food brands were represented by a host of lawyers, including members of the firms’ IP teams
Partners at Bird & Bird and Taylor Wessing discuss how Saudi Arabia offers unique opportunities for firms dealing in IP and tech
Attorneys explain why there are early signs that the US Supreme Court could rule in favour of ISP Cox in a copyright dispute
A swathe of UPC-related hires suggests firms are taking the forum seriously, as questions over the transitional stage begin
A win for Nintendo in China and King & Spalding hiring a prominent patent litigator were also among the top talking points
Gift this article