Public domain in the US and the UK, and in the EU except Spain until 1 January 2031
Tarzan of the ApesEdgar Rice Burroughs, 1912
The 1912 novel is free in the US, the UK and most of the EU. The name Tarzan is a trademark that its owner enforces, so this one needs care before any title or merchandise.
- First published
- 1912
- Author died
- 1950
- Original language
- English
Copyright status
| Where | Status |
|---|---|
| United States | Public domain. First published in 1912, 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 2021. Edgar Rice Burroughs died in 1950, and the term is 70 years after the end of the year of death. Exception: Spain keeps an 80-year term for authors who died before 1987, so the work only becomes free there on 1 January 2031. |
| 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.
An English lord and his wife are marooned on the coast of West Africa, where their son is born. After they die, the baby is raised by a she-ape, Kala, and grows up the strongest of the tribe. Teaching himself to read from his parents' books, Tarzan finds out he is a man, and when a party of explorers arrives, among them Jane Porter, he has to choose between the jungle and the world he came from.
Free to use
- The 1912 novel: Tarzan, Kala, Jane Porter, her father, the French officer D'Arnot and the cabin on the shore.
- The story of a child raised by apes who teaches himself to read.
- Burroughs's sequels first published before 1931.
- Your own adaptation of the story, including a commercial film.
Watch out for
- Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc. holds trademarks on the name Tarzan and actively enforces them. Using Tarzan in a title, a logo or on products can infringe even though the book is free: search the registers and ask a lawyer before you do.
- Burroughs died in 1950, so the novel became free in the EU and the UK on 1 January 2021. Spain protects it until 31 December 2030.
- The yell, "Me Tarzan, you Jane" and the look of the films come from the films, not from the book. Disney's 1999 film is also protected.
- The book reflects colonial and racist views of its time. A modern adaptation will need its own choices.
The full rules, with the laws and court decisions behind them, are in our guide to adapting public domain works.
An adaptation idea
Kala's son: the ape mother's point of view on the human child she would not give up.
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.
- 1Download the text below and save it as a PDF with a text layer.
- 2Attach it to a project and ask for the characters, places and objects. Create the cabin and its books as places and objects.
- 3Write the art direction from the book: the shore, the forest, the apes' clearing. Add a style image of your own.
- 4Ask for the scenes, then the shots of each scene.
- 5Before you release, settle your title with a lawyer, given the trademark.
How a whole book becomes scenes and shots: novel to storyboard.
Original texts
Where to get Tarzan of the Apes from a legal source
- Project GutenbergEnglishPublic 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 EbooksEnglishA 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 Tarzan public domain?
Can I call my film Tarzan?
Did Tarzan say "Me Tarzan, you Jane"?
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 Jungle BookKipling's 1894 stories are free. King Louie, the songs and the look of Disney's characters are not, and Kipling's Kaa is not a villain.
- Treasure IslandStevenson's pirate novel is free: the map, the black spot, Long John Silver and his parrot. Later versions, including Disney's Treasure Planet, are not.
- The Wonderful Wizard of OzBaum's 1900 book is free to adapt. The ruby slippers, the green-skinned witch and the songs come from the 1939 film, and Wicked is its own protected work.