If Lovecraft wrote/created it then it's public domain and fine to use. That said, contact a copyright lawyer if this is a legitimate concern of yours. This is a very frequent topic and if you haven't done any searching of this yourself then you probably shouldn't be convinced by the word of some randoms on the internet. Answer from LG03 on reddit.com
Quora
quora.com › What-works-of-HP-Lovecraft-are-public-domain-now
What works of HP Lovecraft are public domain now? - Quora
Answer (1 of 3): All Lovecraft’s solo work is almost certainly in the public domain. There have been infringement claims made by August Derleth/Arkham House claiming they hold the copyright, however those have not been tested before a court and have a low chance of success if they do.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/lovecraft › is hp lovecraft public domain?
r/Lovecraft on Reddit: Is HP Lovecraft public domain?
September 28, 2019 -
I'm hoping to sell a screenplay with Nyarlathotep as the central antagonist, with mentions and occasional threat of Azathoth. Apparently, some but not all Lovecraft characters are public domain. Would they be safe to use?
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If Lovecraft wrote/created it then it's public domain and fine to use. That said, contact a copyright lawyer if this is a legitimate concern of yours. This is a very frequent topic and if you haven't done any searching of this yourself then you probably shouldn't be convinced by the word of some randoms on the internet.
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Yes, it's public domain.
Videos
Public Domain H.P. Lovecraft Story Read with Live Music : r ...
02:25
Is Cthulhu Public Domain? - CountyOffice.org - YouTube
07:39:54
The Collected Public Domain Works of H. P. Lovecraft by H. P. ...
THE COLLECTED PUBLIC DOMAIN WORKS OF H. P. ...
30:29
Call of Cthulhu, Chapter 1 and commentary || Happy Public Domain ...
07:40:07
Collected Public Domain Works of H. P. Lovecraft 💖 By H. P. ...
Chaosium
chaosium.com › home › blog › from the q&a: isn't the cthulhu mythos in the public domain?
From the Q&A: Isn't the Cthulhu Mythos in the public domain? - Chaosium Inc.
Posted by Michael O'Brien on 3rd Feb 2022 · From our Fan Use and Licensing Q&A: Q: Isn’t H.P. Lovecraft/Cthulhu Mythos in the public domain? A: Because H.P.Lovecraft died over 70 years ago, his individual writings are now in the public domain.
Fandom
lovecraft.fandom.com › wiki › Copyright_status_of_works_by_H._P._Lovecraft
Copyright status of works by H. P. Lovecraft | The H.P. Lovecraft Wiki | Fandom
The Open Cthulhu Mythos project relying on the extreme scholarship of the German Lovecraft Society have prepared a complete and exhaustive list of all Lovecraft works and elements that are beyond question in the public domain as of 2024 and after.
Apple Podcasts
podcasts.apple.com › us › podcast › lovecraft-in-the-public-domain › id1634447009
Lovecraft in the Public Domain - Podcast - Apple Podcasts
July 15, 2022 - A collection of podcast episodes, each one containing a public domain retelling of a story by acclaimed horror author HP Lovecraft. Latest Episode · Follow · 07/15/2022 · In this episode, we talk about one of Lovecraft's favorite stories, ...
RadioPublic
radiopublic.com › collected public domain works of h. p. lovecraft by h. p. lovecraft
Collected Public Domain Works of H. P. Lovecraft by H. P. Lovecraft on RadioPublic
His major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: the idea that life is incomprehensible to human minds and that the universe is fundamentally alien. This collection contains 24 Lovecraft works that are in the public domain.
Pulp Culture Museum
pulpculturemuseum.wordpress.com › 2022 › 04 › 28 › some-selected-stories-by-h-p-lovecraft-public-domain-works-incoming
Some selected stories by H.P. Lovecraft (Public Domain works incoming!) – Pulp Culture Museum
April 27, 2022 - There is an absolute treasure trove of media available in the public domain. Among these somewhat forgotten about creations, is a heap of classic genre fiction. What’s incredible about these old speculative works is that these books and magazines are where a lot of renowned authors got their start. Once upon a pulpy time, Weird Tales was at the top of the genre heap. This was a notable rag for having published, among others, Howard Philips “H.P.” Lovecraft.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/lovecraft › am i correct in saying that the entire lovecraft mythos is in the public domain?
r/Lovecraft on Reddit: Am i correct in saying that the entire Lovecraft mythos is in the public domain?
March 17, 2023 -
I was planning on drawing a few pictures of the likes of Cthulhu and Nyarlathotep on stream, because i thought i could remember hearing or reading that everything about them and the Yog-Sothothery was in the public domain, however i had just read that the works are copyright free but the image of the character(s) is not. Does anyone know the truth on this?
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Yep. There are ppl who claim to own the rights to the original story but have never been able to prove the copyright was extended (back then you had to apply for copyright and it only lasted for about 15/20 yrs before you had to renew it) so all his work are public domain.
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This is a little complicated due to the Mythos being a setting that's shared by many authors. First of all, I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. That said, this is how I understand the situation. All of Lovecraft's works are in the public domain. So if it has showed up in one of his stories, any author may use things from those stories as they will, such as adapting those stories to different media or rewriting them to create their own original work or using characters or other references from Lovecraft's stories in their own original works. However, original or adapted works based on Lovecraft's works are the intellectual property of their authors. So if someone else were to adapt one of Lovecraft's stories, that story is still copyrighted to them, as are any new characters or other significant references. So if an author were to write their own version of "The Shadow Over Innsmouth" that had an original character, that author would still own the rights to that original character, as well as their retelling of Lovecraft's story. That being said, the community of content creators who use the Cthulhu Mythos are a very referential one, as Lovecraft himself was, and so many creators don't mind if references from their original or adapted Lovecraftian stories are mentioned in works by other creators, as doing so only expands the mystery and intrigue and terrible wonder of the Mythos. But that doesn't stop creators owning the rights of their own intellectual property, and so one should still be very, very careful of referencing original content without the permission of their copyright holders.
Bandcamp
publicdomainaudioarchive.bandcamp.com › album › seven-stories
Seven Stories | H.P. Lovecraft | Public Domain Audio Archive
December 26, 2022 - Seven Stories by H.P. Lovecraft, released 26 December 2022 1. Beast In The Cave 2. Dagon 3. Nyarlathotep 4. The Alchemist 5. The Shunned House (Part 1) 6. The Shunned House (Part 2) 7. The Tomb 8. The White Ship Public domain source recordings ...
LibriVox
librivox.org › collected-public-domain-works-of-h-p-lovecraft
The Collected Public Domain Works of H. P. Lovecraft | LibriVox
H. P. Lovecraft’s name is synonymous with horror fiction. His major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: the idea that life is incomprehensible to human minds and that the universe is fundamentally alien. This collection contains 24 Lovecraft works that are in the public domain.
Helping QnA
help.quickqna.click › home › is hp lovecraft public domain?
Is hp lovecraft public domain? - Helping QnA
October 8, 2022 - A: Because H.P.Lovecraft died over 70 years ago, his individual writings are now in the public domain. However, the Mythos was/is a shared creation—even in
Apple Podcasts
podcasts.apple.com › us › podcast › collected-public-domain-works-of-h-p-lovecraft-by-h › id866411004
Collected Public Domain Works of H. P. Lovecraft by H. P. Lovecraft - Podcast - Apple Podcasts
January 2, 2025 - His major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: the idea that life is incomprehensible to human minds and that the universe is fundamentally alien. This collection contains 24 Lovecraft works that are in the public domain.
Internet Archive
archive.org › audio
Collected Public Domain Works of H. P. Lovecraft : H. P. Lovecraft : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
This collection contains 24 Lovecraft works that are in the public domain. You'll find more versions of these stories throughout LibriVox's short story collections and short horror story collections.
The StoryGraph
app.thestorygraph.com › books › f55554ac-f957-43dc-9ac1-4dd23e920285
Collected Public Domain Works of H.P. Lovecraft by H.P. Lovecraft | The StoryGraph
Collected Public Domain Works of H.P. Lovecraft — H.P. Lovecraft · 7 hours, 39 minutes • missing pub info (editions) not a book user-added · ISBN/UID: None · Format: Audio · Language: English · Publisher: Loyalbooks.com · Publication date: 02 January 2022 ·
Chaosium
chaosium.com › home › contact › fan-use and licensing › fan-use and licensing q&a
Fan-Use and Licensing Q&A
A: Because H.P.Lovecraft died over 70 years ago, his individual writings are now in the public domain. However, the Mythos was/is a shared creation—even in HPL's lifetime ("the Lovecraft Circle"). Many of the writers HPL collaborated with lived on much later into the 20th century, e.g.
Goodreads
goodreads.com › en › book › show › 7295500
The Collected Public Domain Works by H.P. Lovecraft | Goodreads
December 28, 2022 · Come raccolta è ok. È un audiolibro letto da volontari e un paio di loro ha un forte accento che pare tedesco però si apprezza lo stesso. 1920s 1930s dark-academia · ...more · Amanda · Author 3 books51 followers · Follow · Follow · July 27, 2011 · This is a collection of 24 Lovecraft short stories that are in the public domain.
Authors H.P. LovecraftKeith Worrell…
Reddit
reddit.com › r/lovecraft › what parts of the cthulhu mythos are public domain?
r/Lovecraft on Reddit: What parts of the Cthulhu Mythos are public domain?
June 5, 2016 -
I know only the stuff created early on (e.g. Cthulhu, R'lyeh, Nyarlathotep) is in the public domain, but I've been unable to find a list of exactly which characters/entities/settings this includes.
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The essay Lovecraft wrote on horror literature may still be under copyright. Possibly the collaborations, or some of them, are still under copyright. Everything else is in public domain, so far as I'm aware. The revised texts of Lovecraft's stories, based on his manuscripts, would be under copyright.
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The long version is Black Seas of Copyright , but the short version is that the majority of Lovecraft's fictional works are in the public domain - basically, everything he published before he died. Individual creators like Ramsey Campbell, Brian Lumley, etc. still retain control of their individual characters and concepts, but are usually very accommodating. So, no one is going to sue you for using Cthulhu, R'lyeh, Nyarlathotep, Azathoth, Shub-Niggurath, etc.
BoardGameGeek
boardgamegeek.com › thread › 901155 › is-cthulhu-in-the-public-domain
Is Cthulhu in the public domain? | BGG
Does anyone know (or can anyone provide evidence) that the Cthulhu stories/characters are in the public domain? I am working on a game and would like to incorporate some of the names, locations, etc. but I am worried about copyright infringement. If any publishers could weigh in as well,
Reddit
reddit.com › r/lovecraft › are lovecraft's works in the public domain? if so, which ones?
r/Lovecraft on Reddit: Are Lovecraft's works in the public domain? If so, which ones?
July 4, 2023 -
I've tried looking this up before, but I keep getting mixed messages and I'm not sure where to look for a solid answer. Some sources tell me they're all PD, others tell me there's a company that owns the rights to Lovecraft's works. And even then, I can't really get an answer as to which ones, if it's a half and half thing.
I'm especially curious if anyone owns the rights to the Nyarlathotep lore.
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All of them are. Where it gets thorny is being careful to separate Lovecraft's work from other Mythos authors who aren't out of copyright, such as Derleth.
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Despite several claims to the contrary, there is currently no evidence that any company or individual owns the copyright to any of Lovecraft's works, and it is generally accepted that it has passed into the public domain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft#Copyright_and_other_legal_issues https://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/
JURN
jurn.link › tentaclii › index.php › 2022 › 12 › 21 › lovecraft-in-2022-the-year-in-lovecraft
Lovecraft in 2022: ‘the year in Lovecraft’ | Tentaclii
It turned out that this was not Mythos stories with a Dutch or ‘olde Dutch’ New York City setting, but simply tales by contemporary Dutch writers. In Canada the works of August Derleth and C.M. Eddy (“The Loved Dead”, etc) slipped into the public domain at the start of 2022.