Sherlock Holmes Is in the Public Domain, American Judge Rules

bakerstreetbabes:

HUGE NEWS!!! Free Sherlock has succeeded!

In the more than 125 years since he first appeared, Sherlock Holmes has popped up everywhere from fan-fiction set in outer space to screen adaptations like CBS’s “Elementary,” set in contemporary Manhattan. But now, following a legal ruling, the deerstalker-wearing detective is headed to another destination: the public domain.

A federal judge has issued a declarative judgment stating that Holmes, Watson, 221B Baker Street, the dastardly Professor Moriarty and other elements included in the 50 Holmes works Arthur Conan Doyle published before January 1, 1923, are no longer covered by United States copyright law, and can be freely used by new creators without paying any licensing fee to the Conan Doyle estate.

Sherlock Holmes Is in the Public Domain, American Judge Rules

The Adventure of the Gloria Scott

[In the prisoners’ cells aboard the Gloria Scott.]
Prendergast: Hey, chummy!
Armitage: Look, someone in the next cell cut a hole through to mine and OMG IT’S JACK FREAKING PRENDERGAST.
Prendergast: [winks] That’s right, chummity-chum-chum.
Armitage: I LOVE YOUR JAUNTY SWAGGER.
Prendergast: I’m, like, super-rich too.
Armitage: [swoons]
Prendergast: Anywho, me and my money think this boat is a dump and we’re busting out of here. You in, chumerson?
Armitage: There’s an awful lot of soldiers on board.
Predergast: Big deal, there’ll be a little murdering involved. You’re not some kind of girl, are you?
Armitage: Well…
Prendergast: [is tall and confident]
Armitage: Yeah, okay! That sounds great! Thanks for inviting me.
Prendergast: I had a feeling you were cool, chumby. You can bring a friend if you want, but not the wuss in the corner or the dude with jaundice or that guy who keeps trying to get the rest of us to play I Spy to pass the time.
Armitage: Right. Of course not. Losers.
Evans: …pick me pick me pick me…
Armitage: Hey, Evans, Prendergast is throwing a jailbreak, do you want to–
Evans: YES.
Chaplain: Okay, prisoners. Time to pray.
Chaplain: [hands out pistols to the prisoners]
Chaplain: It’s a really good thing no one thinks to ask why my Bible bag’s so clanky.
Prendergast: Let’s do this, chumbellinas!
Prisoners: [murder murder murder]
Soldier: [gets shot and falls off ship]
Armitage: Wow, he just keeps swimming. Poor little guy. We should put him out of his misery.
Soldier: Or–and this is just a suggestion–you could not.
Armitage: There there, little man.
Soldier: I’m not convinced you’ve taken the time to fully appreciate the nuances of my argument.
Prisoner: [shoots soldier]
Armitage: Thanks!
Soldier: You jerk. If you ever have a son, I am coming back to possess his dog and make it bite people so he winds up with no friends and has a largely unfulfilling college experience.
Armitage: That’s a weirdly specific threat.
Soldier: [dies]
Armitage: So, what now?
Prendergast: Let me ask my money.
Prendergast: [holds money up to ear]
Prendergast: What’s that, Money? You want us to murder the rest of the crew?
Armitage: Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Evans: Yeah, what the heck, man? Nobody said anything about MURDERS.
Prendergast: I’m pretty sure I specifically did say that. Plus you just helped kill all the soldiers.
Armitage: But they were all armed and whatevs.
Prendergast: The wounded guy in the water?
Armitage: Um…
Evans: The point is, no more murders! I’m allergic. I have a note from my doctor.
Prendergast: Weren’t you convicted of forgery?
Evans: Um…
Prendergast: [sighs] This is disappointing, chumalumadingdongs. I thought you were cool. But fine, take a boat and get out of here.
Armitage & Evans: [leave on boat]
Gloria Scott: Well, I’ve had about enough of this.
Gloria Scott: [blows up dramatically]
Hudson: [swims over to the boat]
Hudson: Everybody else blew up.
Armitage: ‘Kay.
[Years later…]
Hudson: I’m back to ruin your lives.
Armitage: [dies of shock]
Evans: FINE, maybe just one more murder then.
Evans: [murders Hudson]
Hudson: [dies]
Evans: Wait, I forgot about my murder allergy!
Evans: [also dies]
[More years later…]
Holmes: And that’s how I became a detective.
Watson: Fascinating! Hopefully someday someone will invent Google so a kid can use that incredibly accurate summary of events to cheat on their book report.
Holmes: Well said. But in the meantime…
Holmes: [grabs electric guitar]
Watson: [grabs drum kit]
Holmes & Watson: [rock out]

spacefall:

 Tired like a tired thing, but made myself stop working on the pic that’s been sitting in my queue and blocking it up. Sometimes I think humans and printers have a lot in common. 

Holmes, Watson, uncomfortable train station sleep, and hot chocolate advertising. This is how action-packed my brain feels. 😛