The Fine Print
"Public domain" sounds absolute. It isn't. Three traps catch reprinters and adapters more than any other — here they are, in plain language.
① The translation trap
A translation is a creative work in its own right, and the translator counts as an author. Even when the original text is public domain, a particular translation stays under copyright until 70 years after the translator's death.
So the French of Gaston Leroux or the German of Friedrich Glauser may be free — while a recent English or modern German rendering is firmly protected. For a translated edition you have three clean routes: use a translation whose translator died in 1955 or earlier, commission a new one, or publish in the original language.
② Spain's 80-year rule
Most of the EU settled on "death + 70," but Spain keeps a longer term for older authors: writers who died before 7 December 1987 enjoy 80 years post mortem under its earlier 1879 law.
The practical effect: several authors free elsewhere in the EU — Josephine Tey (d. 1952), for one — remain protected in Spain until their 80-year term runs out. If your project distributes into Spain, check each author against the 80-year clock, not the 70-year one.
③ The EU-versus-US divide
The European term runs from the author's death (+70 years). The United States term runs from publication (+95 years), which in 2026 frees everything published in 1930 or earlier. These produce different answers for the same book.
That is why a U.S. library such as Project Gutenberg may lack a title that is plainly free for you in the EU — and why you should always match a source's rules to the country you are reading or publishing in. More on this in Where to Find Them.
A few more wrinkles
Pseudonyms and joint authors. When two writers share a pen name — "Francis Beeding," for instance — the term runs from the death of the last surviving author. Anonymous and pseudonymous works can run on publication date instead, until the real author is known.
New editions aren't new copyrights — but new material is. A modern introduction, scholarly notes, a fresh cover or a revised text each carry their own protection. The 1920 novel is free; this publisher's 2015 annotated edition of it is not.
Trademarks outlive copyright. A character can be public domain while a name or logo remains a live trademark. Sherlock Holmes is free to print; building a business around the brand is a different question.
⚠ Not legal advice
This page is an informational summary for the curious, not legal advice, and copyright law shifts with jurisdiction and time. Before you publish, adapt or sell, confirm an individual work's status in your country — and, for anything commercial, ask a qualified lawyer.