I think that's still got about 10 years left.
Hard to say where things will be at 10 years from now, but I feel like the political trend is still pretty solidly against de facto infinite copyright.
If we get a few successful public domain adaptations between now and then (some of which could be by WB, and Disney is almost certainly going to take a crack at it), then even the big money movers are going to be divided on whether it's really worth it to keep extending copyright forever.
The sleepiest good boi
Even then, though, only Superman and Lois Lane as depicted in Action Comics #1 would become public domain, not anything that came after, which, given the longevity of the franchise, is a lot.
Among the things that won't be added:
- The name Krypton (his origin as an alien is part of the comic, but the planet is unnamed)
- The Daily Planet and Perry White (it was the Daily Star in AC#1, and the editor was a completely different guy named George Taylor, who I think has shown up again once or twice).
- Most of his powerset (X-ray vision, heat vision, super breath, super speed. Flight was famously introduced in the Fleischer cartoons, which are already PD, so I guess you could still have that).
- Any of his Rogues Gallery, as he fought regular crooks in his first few appearances.
- Jimmy Olsen (invented for the radio show)
- The Kents (Early-Installment Weirdness had the people who discovered baby Kal-El drop him at an orphanage)
- The iconic S-shield as we know it today (his original logo was just a non-stylized letter S)
- Supergirl (not introduced for another twenty years)
- Metropolis (the city went unnamed for awhile and was implied to be New York)
Batman will also go into the PD the following year, along with Commissioner Gordon and Gotham City in general. Robin, Joker and Catwoman will follow the year after that.
Edited by lbssb on Jan 26th 2024 at 5:09:54 AM
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You’re acting as if they get a choice, copyright law is what it is and Superman will be public domain come 2034.
If Disney with the massive power it has now wasn’t in a position to get the law changed (which would protect not only Micky but other properties further down the line) I don’t see how Warner Bros is going to be in such a position in the next ten years.
"And the Bunny nails it!" ~ Gabrael "If the UN can get through a day without everyone strangling everyone else so can we." ~ Cyran