Peter Pan copyright

JM Barrie gifted the rights to Peter Pan to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in 1929. Over the years, this generous gift has provided vital support for the hospital’s work, helping to give seriously ill children lives that are fuller, funner and longer.

The original copyright for Peter Pan expired in the UK and Europe in 1987, 50 years after Barrie’s death. 

However, an amendment to the Copyright Designs and Patents Act (CDPA) in 1988 granted GOSH unique rights to royalties from stage performances, adaptations, publications, audiobooks, ebooks, radio broadcasts and films.

In 1996, the copyright term was extended to 70 years after the author's death in the EU, but Peter Pan entered the public domain in Europe on 31 December 2007. In the UK, the CDPA ensures GOSH continues to benefit from Barrie’s gift, helping to make the hospital extraordinary for even more patients and families.

Although the novel Peter Pan (also known as Peter and Wendy) is in the public domain in the US, the play (and stage adaptations) is in copyright there until December 2023.

This is because the novel was published in 1911, but the play itself was only published in 1928, so its copyright was extended by the new term of first date of publication plus 95 years (set by the Sonny Bono Copyright Extension Act of 1998 for works published between 1923 and 1977).

Royalties are a percentage of ticket or book sales paid to GOSH Charity for performances, publications, or films based on Peter Pan.

We're grateful to those who helped to create the words and imagery of Peter Pan. All quotes and illustrations on this site are copyrighted.