Public domain in the US, the EU and the UK
Arsène Lupin, Gentleman BurglarMaurice Leblanc, 1907
Leblanc's gentleman thief has been free in France and the EU since 2012. Netflix's Lupin and the Lupin III manga are separate protected works.
- First published
- 1907
- Author died
- 1941
- Original language
- French
Copyright status
| Where | Status |
|---|---|
| United States | Public domain. First published in 1907, before 1931: the 95-year US term for works of that age has run out. |
| European Union and United Kingdom | Public domain since 1 January 2012. Maurice Leblanc died in 1941, and the term is 70 years after the end of the year of death. |
| Other countries | Most countries protect a work for 50 to 100 years after its author's death, and some have transition rules. If you release or sell in a specific country, check its law. |
Status checked on October 26, 2026 against the sources listed in our legal guide.
Nine stories introduce Arsène Lupin, the elegant thief who robs the rich with wit and never kills. He is arrested on a transatlantic liner, robs a castle from inside his prison cell, escapes from the Santé, and meets the English detective Herlock Sholmès. Behind his many disguises, the stories also show the boy he was and the woman he loves.
Free to use
- The 1907 collection and the Lupin stories first published before 1931, in French and in old translations.
- Arsène Lupin, Inspector Ganimard, Nelly Underdown and Lupin's disguises and tricks.
- Herlock Sholmès, Leblanc's own name for his English rival.
- Any version: modern Paris, a heist series, a period film.
Watch out for
- Netflix's Lupin (2021) and its hero Assane Diop are protected, as are the Lupin III manga and anime by Monkey Punch.
- Leblanc died in 1941, so his stories are free in the EU and the UK since 2012 (in Spain since 2022). Later Lupin novels each have their own date: check before 1931 for the US.
- Recent translations are protected. Check who made one before quoting it, or translate from the French.
- Never prompt for an actor from a famous version.
The full rules, with the laws and court decisions behind them, are in our guide to adapting public domain works.
An adaptation idea
The arrest of Arsène Lupin: a liner at sea, a thief on board, and every passenger a suspect.
Adapt it in ScreenWeaver
These are the steps as they run in ScreenWeaver today. You read and edit every step, and you start every generation yourself, in the app.
- 1Get the French text or the old English translation from Project Gutenberg (links below) and save it as a PDF with a text layer.
- 2Attach it to a series project and ask for the characters, places and objects. Create each of Lupin's disguises as a state of one character.
- 3Write the art direction: Belle Époque Paris, a transatlantic liner, a Norman castle. Add a style image of your own.
- 4Ask for the scenes of one story per episode, then the shots.
- 5Generate the frames in Storyboard, then the clips in Production.
How a whole book becomes scenes and shots: novel to storyboard.
Original texts
Where to get Arsène Lupin, Gentleman Burglar from a legal source
- Project GutenbergFrenchThe original French textPublic domain in the US. Outside the US, check your own law. If you republish the file, remove the Project Gutenberg name and licence, as its licence asks.
- Project GutenbergEnglishEnglish translation: check who made it and when they died before you quote its wordingPublic domain in the US. Outside the US, check your own law. If you republish the file, remove the Project Gutenberg name and licence, as its licence asks.
- Gallica (BnF)FrenchSearch across editionsScans of historical French editions at the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Free for non-commercial reuse with the source credited; the BnF charges for commercial reuse of its files.
Questions
Is Arsène Lupin public domain?
Can I use Assane Diop from the Netflix series?
Can Lupin meet Sherlock Holmes?
General information, not legal advice. Copyright, trademark and personality rights depend on the country and on the facts of each project. For a commercial release, have a lawyer check your chain of rights.
Other works to adapt
- The Hound of the BaskervillesHolmes, Watson and the hound on the moor are free. What later films and series added to them is not.
- The Three MusketeersDumas's 1844 adventure is free: d'Artagnan, the three friends, Milady and "all for one, one for all." Recent translations and the films are not.
- The Great GatsbyFitzgerald's novel has been free in the US since 2021. The famous cover painting is a separate work, and outside the US it is still protected.