# 2010 in public domain

When a work's copyright expires, it enters the public domain. The following is a list of works that entered the public domain in 2010. Since laws vary globally, the copyright status of some works are not uniform.

## Entered the public domain in countries with life + 70 years

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. The list is sorted alphabetically and includes a notable work of the creator that entered the public domain on January 1, 2010.
| Names | Country | Birth | Death | Occupation | Notable work |
| Margarete Böhme | Germany | 8 May 1867 | 23 May 1939 | novelist, short story writer | Tagebuch einer Verlorenen |
| Solomon Cleaver | Canada | 1855 | 1939 | novelist | Jean Val Jean |
| Ethel M. Dell | United Kingdom | 2 August 1881 | 17 September 1939 | romance novelist | The Rocks of Valpré |
| Mary Frances Dowdall | United Kingdom | 11 February 1876 | 1939 | novelist | Susie Yesterday, To-Day, and Forever, ; Three Loving Ladies, The Tactless Man |
| Havelock Ellis | United Kingdom | 2 February 1859 | 8 July 1939 | medical textbook writer, eugenicist, psychologist | Studies in the Psychology of Sex Vol. 2, A Study of British Genius |
| Ford Madox Ford | United Kingdom | 17 December 1873 | 26 June 1939 | novelist, poet | The Good Soldier, Parade's End |
| Sigmund Freud | Austria | 6 May 1856 | 23 September 1939 | Neurologist and psychoanalyst | Introduction to Psychoanalysis, The Psychopathology of Everyday Life, Civilization and Its Discontents |
| Ludwig Fulda | Germany | 7 July 1862 | 7 March 1939 | novelist, playwright, poet | Der Seeräuber, Aladdin und die Wunderlampe |
| Agnes Giberne | India | 19 November 1845 | 20 August 1939 | children's writer, novelist, science writer | Sun, Moon and Stars: Astronomy for Beginners, Among the Stars, or wonderful things in the sky |
| Zane Grey | United States | 31 January 1872 | 23 October 1939 | Western novelist | Riders of the Purple Sage, The Rainbow Trail |
| Richard Halliburton | United States | 9 January 1900 | 24 March 1939 | travel writer | The Royal Road to Romance, The Glorious Adventure |
| Robin Hyde | New Zealand | 19 January 1906 | 23 August 1939 | novelist, poet | Passport to Hell, Check To Your King |
| Vladislav Khodasevich | Russia | 16 May 1886 | 14 June 1939 | poet, memoirist | Heavy Lyre, Necropolis, |
| Volter Kilpi | Finland | 12 December 1874 | 13 June 1939 | novelist | Alastalon salissa |
| Alcina Leite Pindahíba (pt) | Brazil | 1854 | 1939 | Educator | Campesinas |
| Antonio Machado | Spain | 26 July 1875 | 22 February 1939 | poet | Juan de Mairena |
| Leonard Merrick | United Kingdom | 21 February 1864 | 7 August 1939 | novelist, short story writer, playwright | Mr Bazalgette's Agent, Conrad in Quest of His Youth |
| Alphonse Mucha | Austrian Empire Czech Republic | 24 July 1860 | 14 July 1939 | Painter, illustrator and graphic artist | The Slav Epic |
| Kanoko Okamoto | Japan | 1 March 1889 | 18 February 1939 | poet, short story writer | A Riot of Goldfish |
| Llewelyn Powys | United Kingdom | 13 August 1884 | 2 December 1939 | essayist, novelist | A Pagan's Pilgrimage, Now That The Gods Are Dead |
| Arthur Rackham | United Kingdom | 19 September 1867 | 6 September 1939 | book illustrator | illustrations for Rip Van Winkle, Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Gulliver's Travels |
| Maurice Renard | France | 28 February 1875 | 18 November 1939 | Author | The Hands of Orlac and The Blue Peril |
| Amanda McKittrick Ros | Ireland | 8 December 1860 | 2 February 1939 | novelist, poet | Irene Iddesleigh |
| Joseph Roth | Austria | 2 September 1894 | 27 May 1939 | novelist, essayist | The Wandering Jews, Radetzky March |
| E. C. Segar | United States | 8 December 1894 | 13 October 1939 | cartoonist | Popeye, Thimble Theatre |
| Caton Theodorian | Romania | 14 May 1871 | 8 January 1939 | playwright, poet, short story writer and novelist | Bujoreștii ("The Bujorescus") |
| S. S. Van Dine | United States | 15 October 1888 | 11 April 1939 | mystery writer | The Benson Murder Case, The Bishop Murder Case |
| Amy Catherine Walton | United Kingdom | 9 August 1849 | 5 July 1939 | children's writer | A Peep Behind the Scenes |
| W. B. Yeats | Ireland | 13 June 1865 | 28 January 1939 | poet, dramatist, prose writer | The Wanderings of Oisin and Other Poems, The Countess Kathleen and Various Legends and Lyrics |

## Entered the public domain in countries with life + 50 years

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 |
| Manuel Altolaguirre | Spain | 29 June 1905 | 26 July 1959 | poet, screenwriter | Las islas invitadas y otros poemas(The Invited Isle and Other Poems), El triunfo de las germanías (The Triumph of the Brotherhood of the Guilds) |
| Maxwell Anderson | United States | 15 December 1888 | 28 February 1959 | playwright, poet | Both Your Houses, Joan of Lorraine |
| Edwin Balmer | United States | 26 July 1883 | 21 March 1959 | Author | When Worlds Collide |
| Johan Bojer | Norway | 6 March 1872 | 3 July 1959 | novelist, playwright | Den siste viking (The Last of the Vikings), Vor egen stamme(The Emigrants) |
| Arnolt Bronnen | Austria | 19 August 1895 | 12 October 1959 | playwright | Parricide, Birth of Youth |
| Emil František Burian | Czech Republic | 11 June 1904 | 9 August 1959 | poet, playwright | Member of Osvobozené divadlo |
| Raymond Chandler | United States | 23 July 1888 | 26 March 1959 | detective fiction novelist, screenwriter | The Big Sleep, Farewell, My Lovely, ; The Little Sister, The Long Goodbye |
| Laxmi Prasad Devkota | Nepal | 13 November 1909 | 14 September 1959 | poet, playwright, novelist | Muna Madan, Shakuntala |
| Apsley Cherry-Garrard | United Kingdom | 2 January 1886 | 18 May 1959 | memoirist | The Worst Journey in the World |
| G. D. H. Cole | United Kingdom | 25 September 1889 | 14 January 1959 | political theorist, economist, historian, short story writer | The Brooklyn Murders, The Death of a Millionaire |
| W. W. Greg | United Kingdom | 9 July 1875 | 4 March 1959 | bibliographer, Shakespearean scholar | Dramatic Documents from the Elizabethan Playhouses, English Literary Autographs, 1550–1650 |
| Otfrid von Hanstein | Germany | 23 September 1869 | 17 February 1959 | Author | |
| Laurence Housman | United Kingdom | 18 July 1865 | 20 February 1959 | novelist, playwright, illustrator | An Englishwoman's Love-letters, Victoria Regina |
| Julien Josephson | United States | 24 October 1881 | 14 April 1959 | screenwriter | Lady Windermere's Fan, The Bat, Heidi, Wee Willie Winkie |
| Alfred Kubin | Austria | 10 April 1877 | 20 August 1959 | Author and illustrator | The Other Side |
| Edwin Muir | United Kingdom | 15 May 1887 | 3 January 1959 | Poet, Novelist | The Present Age from 1914, The Scots and Their Country |
| Luis Palés Matos | Puerto Rico | 20 March 1898 | 23 February 1959 | Poet | El palacio en sombras (The Palace in Shadows), Falsa canción de baquiné (False Song of a funeral for a child) |
| Benjamin Péret | France | 4 July 1899 | 18 September 1959 | Poet | Le Passager du transatlantique, De derrière les fagots |
| Sax Rohmer | United Kingdom | 15 February 1883 | 1 June 1959 | crime novelist, horror fiction writer | The Mystery of Dr. Fu-Manchu, Brood of the Witch-Queen |
| Alfred Schütz | Austria | 13 April 1899 | 20 May 1959 | philosopher, social phenomenologist | William James' Concept of the Stream of Consciousness Phenomenologically Interpreted, The Stranger |
| Pauline Smith | South Africa | 2 April 1882 | 29 January 1959 | novelist, short story writer, memoirist, playwright | The Little Karoo, The Beadle |
| Galaktion Tabidze | Georgia | 17 November 1892 | 17 March 1959 | poet | The Wind Blows |
| José Vasconcelos | Mexico | 28 February 1882 | 30 June 1959 | philosopher | La raza cósmica (The Cosmic Race) |
| Boris Vian | France | 10 March 1920 | 23 June 1959 | novelist | I Spit on Your Graves, Froth on the Daydream |
| Percy F. Westerman | United Kingdom | 1876 | 22 February 1959 | children's writer | King of Kilba |

## Entering the 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. If the work is owned by a corporation, then the copyright extends 95 years.
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.