What is the public domain, and when can you translate a book freely?

A book enters the public domain when its copyright expires. From that moment anyone may translate it, print it and sell it without asking permission. In Israel that happens 70 years after the author's death. In the US the rule for older books is different, so the same book can be free in one country and protected in another.

What the public domain is

Copyright is the right of whoever wrote a book to decide what happens to it: who prints it, who translates it, who gets paid. That right doesn't last forever. When it ends, the book passes into the public domain, meaning it belongs to everyone.

A book in the public domain can be translated without a contract. You can republish it, shorten it, adapt it into a play. Nobody has to approve it.

When it happens in Israel

Under the 2007 copyright law, which took effect in May 2008, rights last for the author's life plus 70 years after death. The law also says the period ends on December 31 of the final year. That's how the Wikimedia Commons copyright guide summarizes the law's sections.

An example: an author who died in 1955 is protected until the end of 2025. On January 1, 2026, their books entered the public domain in Israel.

When it happens in the US and Europe

In the US, books published before 1978 are protected for 95 years from publication. That's why on January 1, 2026, books published in 1930 entered the public domain there. The list published by Duke's Center for the Study of the Public Domain includes, for example, Faulkner's As I Lay Dying and Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon.

In the European Union and many other countries the rule is similar to the Israeli one: 70 years after the author's death. Some countries have a shorter period, 50 years.

Why the same book can be free and protected at once

Because each country counts differently. The Duke center gives a good example: Somerset Maugham's novel Cakes and Ale came out in 1930, so it has been free in the US since January 2026. But Maugham died in 1965, so in countries that count 70 years from death he's protected until 2036.

This matters if you sell books online. A store like Amazon sells in many countries at once. A translation of a book that's free only in the US isn't necessarily allowed for sale everywhere.

And what about an existing translation of an old book?

This is where many people trip. Even when the original book is free, its translation is a new work. The Authors Guild tells translators outright that copyright in a translation belongs to them.

In other words: you may translate a book that's already in the public domain anew. You may not take a translation someone else made twenty years ago and publish it as if it were yours. We wrote more about that side in who owns translation rights.

What this means for your book

Three cases where this touches an ordinary author:

• A quotation inside your book. An old poem as an epigraph, a passage from a historical letter. If the source is already in the public domain, you don't need permission. If not, you need to check.
• A relative's book. Grandpa wrote a memoir that was never translated. If he died less than 70 years ago, the rights still exist and usually passed to his heirs. Find out who they are before translating.
• Your own book. It's protected for your whole life plus 70 years. Your heirs should know the rights exist, especially the translation rights, which can be sold separately for each language.

How to check in practice

Start with two questions: when did the author die, and when and in which country was the book first published? If you're in doubt, especially if you plan to sell in several countries, it's worth asking a lawyer who specializes in copyright. This article is a general explanation, not legal advice.

For more questions about translating books, see the FAQ.