Public Domain What you Need to Know

Public Domain works can be freely used by anyone, for commercial or noncommercial purposes, without permission from an original copyright owner/author. Public domain status allows the user unrestricted access and unlimited creativity! These works may be designated for free and unlimited public access, or they may be no longer covered by copyright law because the copyright status has expired or been forfeited by the owner.

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  • Works that automatically enter the public domain upon creation, because they are not copyrightable:
    • Titles, names, short phrases and slogans, familiar symbols, numbers
    • Ideas and facts (e.g., the date of the Gettysburg Address)
    • Government works and documents
  • All works published in the U.S. before 1923
  • To determine is a work is in the public domain use this digital slider tool Links to an external site.

Attribution:

"Is it Protected by Copyright Links to an external site." by Michael Brower & ALA Office for Information Technology Policy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Links to an external site.