Sherlock Holmes Enters the Public Domain

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Hear that sound? It's the squeal of a million fan fiction writers freaking out at the prospect of finally getting some respect. This week, a federal judge ruled that the world's most famous (and possibly most adapted) detective may enter the public domain.
Sherlock Holmes made his debut 126 years ago in A Study in Scarlet, first published in 1887. Since then he's appeared in pretty much every medium and has been portrayed by everyone from original deerstalker Basil Rathbone to Iron Man to Khan. But through all that, people using Holmes and any number of other series tropes have had to pay licensing fees to the Arthur Conan Doyle estate. Basically, this is big.
The lawsuit was brought by Leslie S. King, who edited a 3,000-page annotated version of the Holmes stories and several other works on the character, including a collection of Holmes stories written by several different authors. Although Holmes should have already entered the public domain, lawyers for the estate claimed that Holmes should remain private for four more years, as his story was not truly complete until the last tale was published in 1927.
It didn't fly. All Sherlock Holmes stories and elements from works published before 1923—including Holmes, Dr. John Watson, the dastardly Professor Moriarty, and even 221B Baker Street—now belong to everyone. Use them wisely.

We'll need a subforum for this immediately!

 

[Micromind]

I am still waiting for another RDJ Sherlock Holmes movie.

 

[KevanG]

Well this may not end well.

 

[PyroChamber]

I thought Sherlock Holmes was already in public domain.

 

[KevanG]

I thought Holmes was like Peter Pan and setup under ownership to someone or a corporation.

 

[charl_huntress]

I thought Holmes was like Peter Pan and setup under ownership to someone or a corporation.

This is what I thought as well.

 

[DarkSentinel]

Hm..

 

[DarkSovereignty]

Great, now the Watson/ Holmes slash fiction will be canon

 

[Sawyer]

I thought Sherlock Holmes was already in public domain.

Same. With a film franchise and two television series running parallel to eachother, I figured he was already there.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Yeah... along with that and the fact you can find the stories all over the web made me think this.

 

[Llama_Shepherd]

That's because Sherlock Holmes has been public domain since 2001 in the UK, Europe and Austrailia.

The US is just late to the party.

 

[ThePhantasm]

"Sherlock Homes" are now in the public domain? Good. Now the homeless can find a place to live.

 

[Thundercrack85]

In a few years nothing will ever be public domain again.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

"Sherlock Homes" are now in the public domain? Good. Now the homeless can find a place to live.

Elementary school, my dear Watson.

 

[DJ_KiDDvIcIOUs]

Eh, when I'm at work stuff gets misspelled sometimes. What can ya do?

 

[Teelie]

In a few years nothing will ever be public domain again.

It's already happening. Star Wars will not be in the public domain until sometime in the 2200's I believe. Yep. The year two thousand and two hundred.

 

[JJJ's Ulcer]

Eh, when I'm at work stuff gets misspelled sometimes. What can ya do?

Edit.

(And do most of your posts at home. Seriously what's your boss paying you for? )

 

[Thundercrack85]

It's already happening. Star Wars will not be in the public domain until sometime in the 2200's I believe. Yep. The year two thousand and two hundred.

I imagine it will be forgotten before it becomes public domain.

Then again, if the country that makes the copyright laws disintegrates... doesn't that nullify the copyright laws?

 

[ThePhantasm]

ouch

 

[Pink Ranger]

Cool, I can now self-publish my Sherlock Holmes vs. Hercules fanfiction.

 

[ThePhantasm]

Cool, I can now self-publish my Sherlock Holmes vs. Hercules fanfiction.

And thus the history of civilization reached its apotheosis.

 

[Pink Ranger]

And thus the history of civilization reached its apotheosis.

It gets kind of crazy when my original creation, billionaire superhero Stony Bark a.k.a. Tungsten Man, shows up to help them fight the evil sentient lawn chairs, but I guarantee you it pays off at the end.

 

[enterthemadness]

I should write a General Hospital fan fic where Holmes is somehow in Port Charles...just to troll.

 

[Sawyer]

just to troll.

That's your life story, isn't it?

 

[enterthemadness]

That's your life story, isn't it?

only on a full moon.