When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of works that entered the public domain in 2011. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.
With the exception of Belarus & Spain (which has a copyright term of Life + 80 years for creators that died before 1987), a work enters the public domain in Europe 70 years after the creator's death, if it was published during the creator's lifetime.[1] [2] The list is sorted alphabetically and includes a notable work of the creator that entered the public domain on January 1, 2011.
In most countries of Africa and Asia, as well as Belarus, Bolivia, Canada, New Zealand, Egypt and Uruguay; a work enters the public domain 50 years after the creator's death.
| Names | Country | Birth | Death | Occupation | Notable work | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris van Abkoude |  Netherlands | Writer, Novelist | Pietje Bell | |||
| Lady Cynthia Asquith |  United Kingdom | Author and editor | This Mortal Coil | |||
| Eric Temple Bell | United Kingdom United States | Mathematician and science fiction writer | ||||
| Albert Camus |  France | Philosopher, author | The Stranger | |||
| Victor Rousseau Emanuel | United Kingdom | Author | ||||
| John Russell Fearn | United Kingdom | Author | ||||
| Elsie J. Oxenham | United Kingdom | Children's novelist | Abbey Series of books | |||
| Eden Phillpotts | United Kingdom | Author, poet and dramatist | The Farmer's Wife | |||
| Nevil Shute | United Kingdom | Aeronautical engineer, novelist | On the Beach | |||
| Victor Sjöström |  Sweden | Film director, actor | The Phantom Carriage | |||
| Dadasaheb Torne |  India | Film director | Shree Pundalik |
Spain (for creators that died before 1987), Colombia and Equatorial Guinea have a copyright term of life + 80 years. The list is sorted alphabetically and includes one notable work that entered the public domain on 1 January 2011 for each creator.
| Thomas Bulch | Composer | Memories of England | |||
| Henry Creamer | Composer, lyricist | ||||
| Charles Derennes | Author, essayist and poet | ||||
| Arthur Conan Doyle | Author and physician | The Lost World, Sherlock Holmes | |||
See also: Public domain in the United States. In the United States, the copyright status of works extends for the life of the author or artists, plus 70 years.[3] [4] If the work is owned by a corporation, then the copyright extends 95 years.[5]
Due to the passing of the Copyright Term Extension Act (Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act) in 1998, no new works would enter the public domain in this jurisdiction until 2019.[6]
South Africa
Germany
Switzerland
Czech Republic
Mexico
Estonia