Conan

Conan the Barbarian should be free. Robert E. Howard’s raw, gritty stories from the 1930s, published in Weird Tales, are already public domain in places like the UK and will be in the U.S. by 2027 for the core Conan tales. You should be able to remix those original texts without fear. But Heroic Signatures, the company controlling Conan’s IP, uses trademark law to keep him chained.

Trademarks on the name “Conan the Barbarian” and the character’s look from later adaptations like comics or Schwarzenegger’s films never expire if renewed. Even if you stick to Howard’s public-domain stories, they can hit you with cease-and-desist letters, claiming “brand confusion.” Most indie creators can’t afford to fight a corporate legal team, so they back down. Companies also muddy the waters by pointing to later copyrighted works, new stories, comics, or designs, and arguing you’re copying those instead. It’s a tactic to scare off competition, and it’s worked for decades.

This isn’t about protecting Howard’s legacy; it’s corporate grave-robbing. Howard created Conan to inspire, not to be locked up by lawyers 90 years later. Conan’s a hero of the people, wild, untamed, and forever free. But until we stop corporations from using trademark law as a sneaky forever copyright, he’ll stay trapped in their vault.

Sources Cited

- ICv2: Conan, Other Copyrights Headed for Public Domain - CONAN, OTHER COPYRIGHTS HEADED FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN

- The Copyright Status of Robert E. Howard’s Works - Copyright Status of Robert E Howard's Works

- Is a character of a public domain book trademarkable? - Is a character of a public domain book trademarkable?

- Robert Ervin Howard - Wikisource - Robert E Howard

- The Rights to Conan the Barbarian Are Incredibly Confusing- The Rights to Conan the Barbarian Are Incredibly Confusing

- Victory for ‘Conan the Barbarian’ in copyright fight - Victory for ‘Conan the Barbarian’ in copyright fight

- Heroic Signatures at SDCC 2025 - HEROIC SIGNATURES AT SDCC 2025: MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE AGE OF HIGH ADVENTURE PANEL