This page features items from the Library's digital collections that are free to use and reuse. The Library believes that this content is either in the public domain, has no known copyright, or has been cleared by the copyright owner for public use.

The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, [1] been forfeited, [2] expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. [3] . Because no one holds the exclusive rights, anyone can legally use or reference those works without permission. [3][4]

Since the public domain began expanding annually again in 2019, the month of January has typically seen a large number of public domain works uploaded to sites such as Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks, and Wikimedia Commons. Standard Ebooks usually releases a number of notable newly-public domain books each January 1, and films in the public ...

public domain, category of creative works that are unprotected by intellectual property law. Since these works cannot be owned, they are free for anyone to use, adapt, reproduce, or distribute for commercial and noncommercial purposes.

Our public domain tools, on the other hand, enable authors and copyright owners who want to dedicate their works to the worldwide public domain to do so, and facilitate the labeling and discovery of works that are already free of known copyright restrictions.

Apr 3, 2013 · The term “public domain” refers to creative materials that are not protected by intellectual property laws such as copyright, trademark, or patent laws. The public owns these works, not an individual author or artist. Anyone can use a public domain work without obtaining permission, but no one can ever own it.

Mar 7, 2023 · The phrase "public domain" (PD) isn't in the U.S. Copyright Act. It is, however, commonly used to refer to content that isn't protected by copyright law. Works that are in the public domain may be used freely, without obtaining permission from or compensating the copyright owner.

Feb 25, 2025 · All terms of copyright run through the end of the calendar year in which they would otherwise expire, so a work enters the public domain on the first of the year following the expiration of its copyright term. For example, a book published on 15 March 1925 entered the public domain on 1 January 2021, not 16 March 2020 (1925+95=2020).

When the copyright expires for a work, it enters the public domain, meaning anyone can freely use it without seeking permission or paying a fee. Under US copyright law, all works published at least 95 years before January 1 of the current year are in the public domain.

Apr 3, 2013 · If a book, song, movie, or artwork is in the public domain, then it is not protected by intellectual property laws (copyright, trademark, or patent laws)—which means it’s free for you to use without permission.