Popeye, Tintin, enter public domain on Jan 1

Popeye the sailor; (right) Tintin and his pet ‘Snowie’. File pics

Popeye can punch without permission and Tintin can roam freely starting in 2025. The two classic comic characters who first appeared in 1929 are among the intellectual properties becoming public domain in the US on January 1. That means they can be used and repurposed without permission or payment to copyright holders.

This year's crop lacks the landmark vibes of last year's entrance of Mickey Mouse into the public domain. But it includes a deep well of canonical works whose 95-year copyright maximums will expire. And the Disney icon's public domain presence expands.

"It's a trove! There are a dozen new Mickey cartoons - he speaks for the first time and dons his white gloves," said Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke's Center for the Study of the Public Domain. "There are masterpieces from Faulkner and Hemingway, the first sound films from Alfred Hitchcock, Cecil B DeMille, and John Ford, and amazing music from Fats Waller, Cole Porter, and George Gershwin. Pretty exciting!"

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