Public domain in the US, the EU and the UK

Wuthering HeightsEmily Brontë, 1847

Emily Brontë's only novel is free to adapt. Kate Bush's song, the films and their soundtracks all have their own owners.

First published
1847
Author died
1848
Original language
English
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 1847, before 1931: the 95-year US term for works of that age has run out.
European Union and United KingdomPublic domain since 1 January 1919. Emily Brontë died in 1848, 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.

A traveller sheltering at Wuthering Heights hears the story of its savage owner, Heathcliff, from the housekeeper Nelly Dean. Found as a child on the streets of Liverpool, Heathcliff grew up with Catherine Earnshaw on the moors, and they loved each other. When Catherine married the gentle Edgar Linton instead, Heathcliff vanished, returned rich, and spent the rest of his life taking revenge on both families, into the next generation.

Free to use

  • The 1847 novel: Heathcliff, Catherine Earnshaw, Edgar and Isabella Linton, Hindley, Hareton, young Cathy, Nelly Dean and Lockwood.
  • The two-narrator structure and the second generation that most films leave out.
  • Catherine's ghost at the window and her line "I am Heathcliff."
  • Any version, period or modern, including a full two-generation series.

Watch out for

  • Kate Bush's 1978 song Wuthering Heights and its lyrics are protected, as are the scores of the films.
  • The scripts and designs of the film and television versions belong to them, including the most recent ones.
  • New translations and annotated editions are protected. Use the 1847 text or an old translation.
  • 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 second generation: Heathcliff's revenge seen through the children who inherit it.

Format: A feature on the second half of the book, or an eight-episode series covering both generations.

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. 1Download the 1847 text below and save it as a PDF with a text layer.
  2. 2Attach it to a project and ask for the characters and places. Give each generation's characters their own story elements, with their ages.
  3. 3Write the art direction: Yorkshire moors in wind, a dark farmhouse, the softer Thrushcross Grange. Add a style image of your own.
  4. 4Ask for the scenes of the first generation, 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 Wuthering Heights from a legal source

Questions

Is Wuthering Heights public domain?
Yes. Emily Brontë published it in 1847 and died in 1848. It is free in the US, the EU and the UK.
Can I use Kate Bush's song?
Only with a licence from its rights holders. The song is a separate work from 1978 and is protected.
Can I use the book's second half only?
Yes. You can adapt any part of a public domain book and leave out the rest.

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 Wuthering Heights, build the cast and the places, write the scenes and cut them into shots. The Screenwriter plan is free.
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