The Bond movies are certainly still under copyright in the majority of the world, and according to this article, even in Canada. But this is trickier than it sounds on first consideration. Which leads to the interesting prospect that there might be new ”unofficial” James Bond books written and even new “unofficial” James Bond movies or perhaps a television series.

Nevertheless, all 12 James Bond novels and two collections of short stories, along with all the elements contained in them are all free for the taking in those Berne countries adhering to the “life plus 50” term. The Bond novel The Man with the Golden Gun and the short story collection “Octopussy and the Living Daylights” were both published posthumously, 6 so these works did not even get 50 years of copyright protection. Further, Fleming’s early demise has now worked against him. Dying in 1964, Ian Fleming’s 50 years of posthumous protection ended December 31, 2014. 5Ĭreated by Balfour Smith, Canuckguy, Badged and used under a CC-BY LicenseĪnd now, James Bond is in the public domain in every one of those countries shaded light yellow or less.

4 Here is a quick visual aid to show where copyright protection is life plus 50 years or less. There are many nations who still adhere to the “life plus 50” rule of copyright duration, including Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa and Thailand.

3 Now the European Union, along with the United States, has expanded this to life of the author plus 70 years, but not every Berne nation has followed suit. 2 Recall that, at a minimum, Berne Treaty signatories are required to establish a base line of copyright protection of the life of the author plus 50 years after death. 1 And therein lays the roots of Bond’s predicament.Įarlier in this blog, I detailed the varying rationales behind copyright duration and in particular the restrictions of the Berne Treaty. Like his literary creation, Fleming chased women, drank too much and smoked too much, leading to his early demise at the age of just 56 years old, on August 12, 1964. His creator was an English newspaper journalist by the name of Ian Fleming. While many today would regard James Bond as a cinematic hero, his origins are literary. But now Bond faces his most powerful, unstoppable and implacable foe ever: the public domain. He’s been shot, stabbed, tortured, threatened with castration (twice), dragged over a coral reef, seen his wife murdered on their wedding day, and yet, nothing has been able to stop James Bond. James Bond Enters the Public Domain! Is This the Work of SPECTRE?

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