Episode 255: Sherlock Holmes in the Public Domain

by Scott Monty December 30, 2022

“enter the sacred domain to-night without fear” [SHOS]

When the #FreeSherlock movement began a decade ago, there were 50 of the original 60 Sherlock Holmes stories in the public domain in the United States. And now, when January 1, 2023 rolls around, "The Veiled Lodger" and "Shoscombe Old Place" will be the final two stories no longer under copyright.

To mark this occasion and the final episode of Season 16 of I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere, we invited Leslie Klinger, BSI ("The Abbey Grange"), Betsy Rosenblatt, BSI ("Lucy Ferrier"), and Ashley Polasek, BSI ("Singlestick") back to the show to talk with us about it from the perspective of one who has sued the Conan Doyle Estate, an intellectual property lawyer, and an adaptation studies scholar, respectively.

How will this affect creators? And what does it mean for fans? These questions and more are answered as we pick the considerable brains we assembled.

This was originally broadcast as a live video exclusively for our Patreon supporters; you can view the video as a replay on our page there.

Our latest Canonical Couplet quiz gives you a chance to identify a Sherlock Holmes story based on two lines of poetry; if your correct answer is randomly chosen, you'll win something from the IHOSE vaults.

Send your answer to comment @ ihearofsherlock .com by January 14, 2023 at 11:59 a.m. EST. The winner will be chosen at random from among all the correct answers. All listeners are eligible to play.

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