(Duke University's, Center for the Study of the Public Domain, CC BY-SA 3.0) For some works, the copyright holder may expressly waive their inherent rights in a work and dedicate the work to the ...

However, since 2019, some of those existing copyrights have been expiring, meaning that those characters entered the public domain, as their owners lost exclusive rights to their likeness.

Yes. Are they copyright violations? As of 2024, probably not. Credit: Daniel Knighton via Getty Images Jan. 1, 2024 is Public Domain Day in the United States — the day a bunch of artwork from ...