Public Domain copyright
About
Public domain are those works whose intellectual property rights have expired, have been forfeited,[1] or are inapplicable. Examples include the works of Shakespeare and Beethoven, most of the early silent films, the formula of Newtonian physics, Serpent encryption algorithm and powered flight. The term is not normally applied to situations where the creator of a work retains residual rights, in which case use of the work is referred to as "under license" or "with permission".
As rights are country-based and vary, a work may be subject to rights in one country and not in another. Some rights depend on registrations with a country-by-country basis, and the absence of registration in a particular country, if required, implies public domain status in that country.
Public domain is one of the traditional safety valves in copyright law.
Additionally, works of the United States government, as defined by the United States copyright law, is "a work prepared by an officer or employee" of the federal government "as part of that person's official duties."[2] In general, under section 105 of the Copyright Act,[3] such works are not entitled to domestic copyright protection under U.S. law.
References
- ↑ Graber, Christoph B.; Nenova, Mira B. (2008). Intellectual Property and Traditional Cultural Expressions in a Digital Environment. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 173. ISBN 978-1-84720-921-4.
- ↑ Boyle, James (2008). The Public Domain: Enclosing the Commons of the Mind. CSPD. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-300-13740-8.
- ↑ US Government. "Title 17 U.S.C. § 105." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_17_of_the_United_States_Code July 30, 1947.