Peter Pan’s Legacy
As we mentioned, Barrie left the rights and proceeds from Peter Pan to the Great Ormond Street Hospital’s children’s charity. The hospital has the right to royalties for everything in the UK. This means they receive royalties for broadcast, publication, on-stage production, and adaptations. However, the royalties don’t extend to sequels, prequels, or spin-offs.
Photo by Nils Jorgensen / Shutterstock
With the exception of the play in the US and Spain, the copyright for Peter Pan expired everywhere else. It’s okay, though, because the hospital brought in a lot of money just because of the royalties. Barrie actually told the hospital never to disclose the amount they were making off of Peter Pan, and they respected his wishes. Despite all the unsettling origins of the story, the legacy has done a lot of good.