Rider-Waite-Smith cards in the public domain this year?

[Jessica]

There have been quite a few helpful websites trying to stay on the legal side of using/modifying/reproducing the RWS images. However, the way I see it now, is that the complete RWS images will be public domain and freely usable on **September, 18, 2021**.

The reason is that that date is 70 years after Pamela Colman Smith’s death in 1951.

So if I’m not mistaken, we could see some creative decks late this year or early next year!

Thoughts?

Discussion

[nauxzhekrucz]

There are already great RWS based decks on the market.

And I dont know if its gonna be public domain since Stuart R. Kaplan has the rights.

[Dorsidh]

Here is a [link](https://sacred-texts.com/tarot/faq.htm#uscopyright) to the Internet Sacred Text Archive page discussing the copyright of the RWS deck.

[Carded_Tarot-Tales]

In the US they are already public domain.