By By Sean Fraser Dec 28, 2013 in Entertainment England's most famous detective, who has been the subject of many television shows and movies as of late, has been declared part of the public domain, according to a federal judge. In the The ruling stems from a The collection's publisher, Pegasus Books, received a letter from the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. that stated that it would prevent the sale of the book unless a licensing fee was paid to them. Klinger had paid a licensing fee in the past for another collection but felt it unnecessary this time around, due to the fact that none of the stories in the new collection contained anything relating to Sherlock after January 1, 1923. The Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. is exploring an appeal, according to Benjamin W. Allison, a lawyer representing the company. He also said that the ruling did not endanger any of the licensing agreements the company currently engaged in. Klinger praised the decision, saying that "Sherlock Holmes belongs to the world, and this ruling clearly establishes that," and hopes that it opens the door for new creators to add to the legend of Holmes. "People want to celebrate Holmes and Watson, and now they can do that without fear," Klinger said. This judgment applies to U.S. copyrights alone. Sherlock Holmes is already in the public domain in Britain. Chief Judge Ruben Castillo of the U.S. District Court of Illinois passed the ruling on Friday , which allows anyone to use any elements from the Sherlock canon prior to 1923 in any derivative works without having to pay licensing fees to the estate of Holmes' creator, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.In the official judgment , Castillo declared that any elements of the Holmes story published prior to 1923 are now within the public domain. However, anything related to the Holmes story created after January 1, 1923 still requires a licensing fee.The ruling stems from a civil complaint filed in February 2013 by Leslie S. Klinger, who co-edited a collection of stories about and relating to the famous detective entitled "In the Company of Sherlock Holmes," with Laurie R. King, herself an author of stories involving Mary Russell, the wife of Sherlock Holmes.The collection's publisher, Pegasus Books, received a letter from the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. that stated that it would prevent the sale of the book unless a licensing fee was paid to them. Klinger had paid a licensing fee in the past for another collection but felt it unnecessary this time around, due to the fact that none of the stories in the new collection contained anything relating to Sherlock after January 1, 1923.The Conan Doyle Estate Ltd. is exploring an appeal, according to Benjamin W. Allison, a lawyer representing the company. He also said that the ruling did not endanger any of the licensing agreements the company currently engaged in.Klinger praised the decision, saying that "Sherlock Holmes belongs to the world, and this ruling clearly establishes that," and hopes that it opens the door for new creators to add to the legend of Holmes."People want to celebrate Holmes and Watson, and now they can do that without fear," Klinger said.This judgment applies to U.S. copyrights alone. Sherlock Holmes is already in the public domain in Britain. More about Sherlock holmes, Literature, Judge, Public domain, Copyright More news from Sherlock holmes Literature Judge Public domain Copyright Copyright law