Public domain in the US, the EU and the UK
FrankensteinMary Shelley, 1818
Mary Shelley's novel is free. The flat head and the neck bolts are not in it: they are a studio's design.
- First published
- 1818
- Author died
- 1851
- Original language
- English
Copyright status
Copyright ends at different dates in different countries. Here is where this work stands in the three places most readers release in.
| Where | Status |
|---|---|
| United States | Public domain. First published in 1818, 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 1922. Mary Shelley died in 1851, 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.
On an Arctic expedition, Captain Walton takes aboard a dying man, Victor Frankenstein, who tells how he built and brought to life a being from dead matter, then fled from it. Rejected by everyone, the creature learns to speak and read in hiding, then turns on Victor's family until creator and creation chase each other to the ice.
Free to use
- Both versions of the novel: the 1818 first edition and the 1831 revised text.
- Shelley's creature: about eight feet tall, with yellow skin that barely covers the muscles and arteries, flowing black hair, white teeth, watery eyes and straight black lips. He is articulate and well read.
- The frame story (Walton's letters), Victor, Elizabeth, Henry Clerval, Justine, and the places: Geneva, Ingolstadt, the Orkneys, the Arctic.
- Any reinterpretation: the creature's point of view, a modern lab, a series, a commercial release.
Watch out for
- The flat-topped head, the neck bolts and Boris Karloff's make-up come from Universal's 1931 film. A film of 1931 can be protected in the US until 31 December 2026 at the latest; its sequels, such as Bride of Frankenstein (1935), stay protected longer. Studios can also hold trademarks on character images.
- The hunchbacked assistant Igor and the line "It's alive!" come from the films, not the novel.
- Recent editions with notes, introductions or new translations are protected. Use the 1818 or 1831 text.
- AI models default to the film monster. Put Shelley's description in your art direction and reject frames that drift back to the bolts.
The full rules, with the laws and court decisions behind them, are in our guide to adapting public domain works.
An adaptation idea
The creature's year in the woods: a being with no name learns language by watching a family that must never see him.
Format: A 15-minute short adapted from the creature's own account (chapters 11 to 16 of the 1831 text), or a feature told from both sides.
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.
- 1Choose your text: the 1818 edition is rawer, the 1831 one is the most read. Download it below and save it as a PDF with a text layer, which ScreenWeaver reads for free.
- 2Attach it to a film project and ask the assistant for the characters and places. Describe the creature in its story element from Shelley's words, not from memory of the films.
- 3Write the art direction: Alpine storms, a student's attic laboratory, Arctic ice. Add a style image of your own.
- 4For the short, ask for scenes from the creature's account only, then for the shots of each scene.
- 5Generate the frames in Storyboard and check the creature in every frame, then the clips in Production.
How a whole book becomes scenes and shots: novel to storyboard.
Original texts
Where to get Frankenstein from a legal source
- Project GutenbergEnglishThe 1818 first edition 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 GutenbergEnglishThe 1831 revised 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.
- Standard EbooksEnglishThe 1831 revised textA proofread edition that Standard Ebooks dedicates to the public domain (CC0).
- WikisourceEnglishSearch across editionsSearch results across editions. Each edition names its source: for a translation, check who translated it and when.
Questions
Is Frankenstein in the public domain?
Yes. The novel was published in 1818, revised in 1831, and Mary Shelley died in 1851. It is free in the US, the EU and the UK.
Can I use the classic green monster with bolts?
That design comes from Universal's films, not from the book. Older films leave copyright year by year in the US, but trademarks and later sequels can still apply. Build your creature from the novel and you have nothing to check.
Is Frankenstein the monster's name?
No. Victor Frankenstein is the scientist; the creature has no name in the novel. Calling the creature Frankenstein is a later popular habit.
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
- DraculaBram Stoker's 1897 novel is free to adapt. The Count from the films is not the Count from the book: start from the text.
- Dr Jekyll and Mr HydeStevenson's 1886 novella is short, free and built like a mystery: a strong first project for an AI short film.
- The War of the WorldsWells's invasion is free in the US, the UK and most of the EU. Spain follows on 1 January 2027, and the radio, musical and film versions still have their own owners.
Start your adaptation.
Import Frankenstein, build the cast and the places, write the scenes and cut them into shots. The Screenwriter plan is free.