Public domain in the US, the EU and the UK

Les MisérablesVictor Hugo, 1862

Hugo's novel is free, and France's highest court has confirmed that his heirs can't stop sequels. The musical's songs and its famous poster belong to the musical.

First published
1862
Author died
1885
Original language
French
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Copyright status

Copyright ends at different dates in different countries. Here is where this work stands in the three places most readers release in.
WhereStatus
United StatesPublic domain. First published in 1862, before 1931: the 95-year US term for works of that age has run out.
European Union and United KingdomPublic domain since 1 January 1956. Victor Hugo died in 1885, and the term is 70 years after the end of the year of death.
Other countriesMost 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.

Released after nineteen years in prison for stealing bread, Jean Valjean is turned away everywhere until a bishop shows him mercy. He becomes a respected factory owner and mayor under a new name, but Inspector Javert never stops hunting him. Valjean promises the dying Fantine to raise her daughter Cosette, saves her from the Thénardiers, and years later finds himself on the barricades of the 1832 Paris uprising, where Cosette's love, Marius, is fighting.

Free to use

  • The 1862 French novel and its old translations, such as Isabel Hapgood's (1887).
  • Jean Valjean, Javert, Fantine, Cosette, Marius, Éponine, the Thénardiers, Gavroche and the barricade.
  • Émile Bayard's illustrations, including his drawing of young Cosette with her broom (Bayard died in 1891).
  • Sequels and spin-offs of your own: in 2007 the French Cour de cassation held that the freedom to create prevents Hugo's heirs from banning a sequel.

Watch out for

  • The 1980 musical, its songs, lyrics, staging and its poster design are protected, even where the poster draws on Bayard's drawing.
  • Films and series own their scripts and designs.
  • Recent translations are protected. Check who made one before quoting it, or translate from the French.
  • In France, the author's moral right never expires: don't present a distorted version as Hugo's, and don't credit him with your scenes.

The full rules, with the laws and court decisions behind them, are in our guide to adapting public domain works.

An adaptation idea

Javert's last day: the inspector who has hunted one man for twenty years is saved by him.

Format: A feature on Valjean and Javert, or a ten-episode series covering the whole novel.

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.

  1. 1Get the French text from Wikisource or Gallica, or Hapgood's translation from Project Gutenberg, and save it as a PDF with a text layer. The novel is long: split it into several files of up to 300 pages.
  2. 2Attach the first part to a series project and ask for the characters, places and objects. Create Valjean at different ages as story elements.
  3. 3Write the art direction: Digne, Montreuil-sur-Mer, the Paris sewers and barricades of 1832. Add a style image of your own.
  4. 4Ask for the scenes part by part, then the shots of each scene.
  5. 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 Les Misérables from a legal source

Questions

Is Les Misérables public domain?
The novel is. Victor Hugo published it in 1862 and died in 1885, so it is free in the US, the EU and the UK. The musical is a separate, protected work.
Can I use songs from the musical?
No. Its music and lyrics are protected. Write your own songs if you make a musical version.
Can I write a sequel?
Yes. In France, the Cour de cassation ruled in 2007 that Hugo's heirs could not ban sequels to Les Misérables, provided they respect the work and its author.

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

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