Case Closed: Sherlock Holmes in Public Domain

Shelf Awareness

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from the heirs of Arthur Conan Doyle, "who say anyone portraying characters from the popular detective series must seek permission or pay a licensing fee," the Associated Press reported.

A U.S. district court ruled earlier this year that copyrights had expired on all Sherlock Holmes novels and stories published before 1923, but not the final 10 stories published thereafter; and that Leslie Klinger could use characters from pre-1923 works for a new anthology, In the Company of Sherlock Holmes (co-edited with Laurie King). 
A federal appeals court agreed. The AP noted the Doyle estate had "argued that the characters continued to develop in later works so they should remain off-limits until remaining copyrights run out in 2022."