| | [[Image:Tulips White House.jpg|thumb|right|220px|A public domain [[image]] of the [[White House]]]] A work is in the '''public domain''' if nobody holds any [[intellectual property]] [[rights]] on it. Works that are in the public domain can be freely copied. | | [[Image:Tulips White House.jpg|thumb|right|220px|A public domain [[image]] of the [[White House]]]] A work is in the '''public domain''' if nobody holds any [[intellectual property]] [[rights]] on it. Works that are in the public domain can be freely copied. |
| − | Two examples of material in the public domain are [[United States]] [[government]] works, and writings for which their copyright has expired. Work created by the federal government is in the public domain (but not work created by state of local governments). In the United States, anything published before 1923 no longer has copyright protection and is in the public domain.<ref>[http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/training/Hirtle_Public_Domain.htm Public Domain]</ref> Laws vary by country, but in most of the world, works whose authors died at least 50, 70, or 100 years ago are in the public domain. (the 1923 cut-off date applies only to the U.S. This means foreign works first published before 1923 are in the public domain in the U.S., but may still be copyrighted outside the U.S.; The claim that "pre-1923 works are in the public domain" is correct only for published works; unpublished works are under federal copyright for at least the life of the author plus 70 years.) | + | Two examples of material in the public domain are [[United States]] [[government]] works, and writings for which their copyright has expired. Work created by the federal government is in the public domain (but not work created by state of local governments). In the United States, anything published before 1926 no longer has copyright protection and is in the public domain.<ref>[http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/training/Hirtle_Public_Domain.htm Public Domain]</ref> Laws vary by country, but in most of the world, works whose authors died at least 50, 70, or 100 years ago are in the public domain. (the 1926 cut-off date applies only to the U.S. This means foreign works first published before 1926 are in the public domain in the U.S., but may still be copyrighted outside the U.S.; The claim that "pre-1926 works are in the public domain" is correct only for published works; unpublished works are under federal copyright for at least the life of the author plus 70 years.) |
| − | [[Fair use]] is not needed when copying material that is in the public domain because there is no copyright holder. However, physical access to the works may be controlled by a [[museum]] that makes users promise not to make any reproductions. Texts and images published in the U.S. before January 1, 1923 are in the public domain. (Because of legislation passed in 1998, no new works will fall into the public domain until 2019, when works published in 1923 will expire. In 2020, works published in 1924 will expire, and so on. For works published after 1977, if the work was written by a single author, the copyright will not expire until 70 years after the author’s death.<ref>[http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/public-domain/welcome/ Welcome to the Public Domain.]</ref>) Before the Copyright Act of 1976, copyright expired after 28 years and had to be renewed for an additional 28-year term; items published prior to 1964 that were not renewed are in the public domain.<ref>For a list of renewals see the Project Gutenberg collections at [http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=11800], which cover everything except music.</ref> Items that were published in the USA before 1989 without a copyright notice are, with a few exceptions, in the public domain. Works originally published in the U.S. after 2002 (with or without copyright notice or registration) are protected until 70 years after the author's death.<ref>[http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States.]</ref> | + | [[Fair use]] is not needed when copying material that is in the public domain because there is no copyright holder. However, physical access to the works may be controlled by a [[museum]] that makes users promise not to make any reproductions. Texts and images published in the U.S. before January 1, 1926 are in the public domain. (Because of legislation passed in 1998, no new works will fall into the public domain until 2022, when works published in 1926 will expire. In 2020, works published in 1924 expired, and so on. For works published after 1977, if the work was written by a single author, the copyright will not expire until 70 years after the author’s death.<ref>[http://fairuse.stanford.edu/overview/public-domain/welcome/ Welcome to the Public Domain.]</ref>) Before the Copyright Act of 1976, copyright expired after 28 years and had to be renewed for an additional 28-year term; items published prior to 1964 that were not renewed are in the public domain.<ref>For a list of renewals see the Project Gutenberg collections at [http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=11800], which cover everything except music.</ref> Items that were published in the USA before 1989 without a copyright notice are, with a few exceptions, in the public domain. Works originally published in the U.S. after 2002 (with or without copyright notice or registration) are protected until 70 years after the author's death.<ref>[http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States.]</ref> |
| − | A very useful chart: [http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States.] by Peter B. Hirtle. (Last updated 3 January 2014). Cornell Copyright Information Center <ref>[http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/ Cornell Copyright Information Center.]</ref> | + | A very useful chart (substitute 1926 for 1923, as of Jan. 1, 2021): [http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States.] by Peter B. Hirtle. (Last updated 3 January 2014). Cornell Copyright Information Center <ref>[http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/ Cornell Copyright Information Center.]</ref> |