J. M. Barrie gave Peter Pan copyright royalties to Great Ormond Street Hospital in 1929.
Barrie made the gift to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, giving the institution the rights to royalties from Peter Pan. The arrangement became especially significant after copyright law would otherwise have limited the term of the original rights.
The hospital’s Peter Pan connection began earlier. Barrie had developed a close relationship with the Llewelyn Davies family, whose children helped inspire aspects of Peter Pan. He also supported the hospital during his lifetime, and the later copyright gift created a continuing financial connection between the character and pediatric care.
The UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 later gave the hospital a special perpetual right to royalties from certain Peter Pan performances, publications and adaptations in the United Kingdom. This unusual legal provision is why Peter Pan’s copyright history is often discussed separately from ordinary copyright duration.