The Smithsonian reports on freshly-freed works of literature, art and music: give a warm welcome to Sherlock Holmes, whose later tales are now free of the Doyle estate's lawyering, Steppenwolf, Metropolis, To The Lighthouse, and "I Scream You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream."
"Why celebrate the public domain?" Jenkins writes on the center's website. "When works go into the public domain, they can legally be shared, without permission or fee. Community theaters can screen the films. Youth orchestras can perform the music publicly, without paying licensing fees."
Besides, she adds, "1927 was a long time ago." When works from 1927 enter the public domain after a 95-year wait, "anyone can rescue them from obscurity and make them available, where we can all discover, enjoy and breathe new life into them."
