LOS ANGELES (AP) — Betty Boop and “Blondie” are among the highlights of titles entering the public domain with the arrival of 2026. The first cartoons that feature Boop and the first “Blondie” comic strips debuted in 1930, and with the passage of 95 years, their U.S. copyrights expired as of Thursday. The first novels featuring teen detective Nancy Drew and the first book featuring Agatha Christie’s investigator Miss Marple also become public domain as do William Faulkner’s novel “As I Lay Dying” and Dashiell Hammett’s “The Maltese Falcon.” Films becoming public property include the Marx Brothers’ “Animal Crackers” and early best picture winner “Cimarron.”
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