Public domain in the US, the EU and the UK

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the SeasJules Verne, 1870

Verne's French text and its original engravings are free. Many English translations are not, and neither is Disney's Nautilus.

First published
1870
Author died
1905
Original language
French
Start my adaptationOriginal texts

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 1870, before 1931: the 95-year US term for works of that age has run out.
European Union and United KingdomPublic domain since 1 January 1976. Jules Verne died in 1905, 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.

In 1866 a sea monster is sinking ships. The naturalist Pierre Aronnax, his servant Conseil and the harpooner Ned Land join the hunt and end up prisoners aboard the Nautilus, the submarine of the mysterious Captain Nemo. They cross the world's oceans with him, from coral cemeteries to the ruins of Atlantis and the South Pole, until Ned plans their escape.

Free to use

  • The French original of 1869 to 1870, and the engravings by Alphonse de Neuville and Édouard Riou from the first illustrated edition.
  • Nemo, Aronnax, Conseil, Ned Land, the Nautilus as Verne describes it, and Nemo's past as revealed in The Mysterious Island (1875).
  • Old English translations, such as the first one of 1872, which is free but leaves out a large part of the text.
  • Your own translation and any adaptation, sold anywhere.

Watch out for

  • Many English translations are recent and protected. Before you quote a translation's wording, check who made it and when they died; when in doubt, translate from the French.
  • The Nautilus design of Disney's 1954 film and its look are protected. Draw your submarine from Verne's text and the original engravings.
  • Gallica scans are free for non-commercial reuse; the BnF charges for commercial reuse of its files. The text itself is free from any edition.
  • AI models know the Disney submarine. Describe Verne's cigar-shaped hull and saloon in your art direction.

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

An adaptation idea

Nemo's war: three prisoners slowly realise their host is fighting a whole empire from under the sea.

Format: An eight-episode series, one ocean per episode.

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 Project Gutenberg or Wikisource, or an old translation, and save it as a PDF with a text layer.
  2. 2Attach it to a series project and ask for the characters, places and objects. Create the Nautilus as an object with references taken from the original engravings.
  3. 3Write the art direction: Victorian brass and glass, a saloon with an organ and a library, deep-sea light. Add your own style image.
  4. 4Ask for the scenes of the first ocean, 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 Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas from a legal source

Questions

Is Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea in the public domain?
Yes. Jules Verne published it in 1869 to 1870 and died in 1905. The French text is free in the US, the EU and the UK.
Which English translation can I use?
An old one whose translator died more than 70 years ago, or your own. Recent translations are protected even though Verne's book is not.
Can I use Disney's Nautilus?
No. Its design was created for the 1954 film. Verne's own description and the original engravings are free.

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

Start your adaptation.

Import Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas, build the cast and the places, write the scenes and cut them into shots. The Screenwriter plan is free.
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