J M Barrie’s gift of the rights to Peter Pan has provided a vital source of income to Great Ormond Street Hospital ever since they were given to the hospital in 1929.
The copyright first expired in 1987, 50 years after Barrie’s death, but former Prime Minister Lord Callaghan successfully proposed an amendment to the Copyright Designs & Patents Act of 1988, giving Great Ormond St the unique right to royalties from stage performances of Peter Pan (and any adaptation of the play) as well as from publications of the story of Peter Pan, in perpetuity. (CDPA 1988, Schedule 6, Section 301).
In 1996 copyright term was extended to 70 years after the author’s death throughout the European Union, which meant Peter Pan enjoyed revived copyright until 31 December 2007, after which it entered the public domain in Europe. The CDPA (of 1988 (see above) will therefore prevail from now on in the UK so that GOSH will continue enjoying the benefit of Barrie’s gift.
Thanks to different legislation in the US, the play (and stage adaptations) is in copyright there until 2023.
Royalties
This means that whenever a performance of Peter Pan is staged or a book published, a royalty is payable to Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.
For information about stage performances (whether professional or amateur) in the UK and US, please contact our theatre agents listed here.
For school performances in the UK, please contact peterpan@gosh.org or schools@gosh.org. If you would like to stage a production in your school or youth group in the UK, the licence fee will be waived if you are raising funds for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.
