Bram Stoker's iconic 1897 novel Dracula is regarded by enthusiasts of Gothic literature as one of the defining works of the genre. The book's undying popularity has brought true immortality to its eponymous antagonist, the infamous Count Dracula. The eerie tale has been reinvented countless times in film, theater, animation, and even video games. Whitney Sorrow, an inventive bibliophile from Michigan, has given the vampire new life in an unexpected medium: a blog.

The original novel, as written by Stoker, is an epistolary. It consists primarily of diary entries and letters penned by the story's main characters. The entries are labeled with dates, which delineate the narrative's temporal progression. This characteristic makes it uniquely suited for a blog adaptation. Sorrow intends to break down the original text into individual letters and diary entries, which she will post in a blog on the assigned dates. The blog, which is called the Dracula Feed, will enable readers to consume the story in real time.

This literary experiment is made possible by one of the most important features of copyright law—the concept of the public domain. The underlying function of copyright law is to encourage creativity by granting content creators exclusive rights to their work for a limited term. The protections afforded to content creators by copyright law are intended to incentivize the production of original works, but the duration is limited so that aging content can be repurposed, brought to new mediums, and be experienced by a broader audience. Both aspects of copyright law—the protections and the limitations—are needed to maximize creativity.

The limited duration ensures the eventual liberation of every piece of our society's shared cultural heritage, guaranteeing that it will not be held hostage perpetually by burdensome licensing fees and restrictive terms of use. Consequently, the limits are essential to maintaining a healthy balance between the rights of content creators and content consumers.

The Dracula blog demonstrates the role that the public domain plays in boosting creativity and ensuring that ageless classics never die or become completely inaccessible. In its earliest form, United States copyright law granted protection for a duration of 14 years to authors who registered their creative works. The nature of copyright has transformed significantly over the years as a result of key legislative changes and harmonization efforts such as the Berne Convention. In both the United States and the United Kingdom, content creators no longer need to register their works, and the term lasts for the duration of their lifetime plus 70 additional years.

Stoker did not register for a copyright on Dracula in the United States. In the United Kingdom, the work was protected for fifty years beyond Stoker's death in 1912 as dictated by law at the time—meaning that the book fully entered the public domain in 1962. As a result of its current public domain status, the full text of Dracula is widely available on the Internet where it can be appreciated by scholars and new audiences at no cost. Stoker's infamous Count, now a ubiquitous cultural icon, can be shared by all.