Lots of Interesting IP is Entering the Public Domain. Which Ones Would Make Good Pinball Machines?
By knapparcade
This morning, I came across an interesting article about Stern Pinball's use of the Public Domain loophole to create its April 2025 pinball machine King Kong: Myth of Terror Island. For those of you who aren't familiar with what Public Domain, it essentially means intellectual property that has had its copyright protection expire. Things that were created before 1978 lose their copyright protection after 95 years. That means that works from the 1930s are now entering Public Domain. Here's a list of other known IPs that have entered or are about to enter the Public Domain. - Betty Boop - Nancy Drew - All Quiet on the Western Front - The Maltese Falcon - The original version of Mickey Mouse - The original version of Popeye - The original version of Winnie-the-Pooh See any that might make a good pin? How about a new Popeye pinball machine? LOL. We're definitely starting to get into themes in the public domain that could work. Some really big items enter public domain in the mid 2030's, including Batman, Captain America and Wonder Woman. Pins based on early versions of those characters could be really cool. Below is a link to the article that I was talking about: Brian Quinn and Stern Pinball’s Public Domain Strategy: Celebrity Voices Without Studio Licensing Costs. Betty Boop, Mickey Mouse works enter the public domain in 2026
