Copyright Guide for Faculty

"Public Domain" is the term used to refer to content that is not protected by any copyright, creative commons, patent, or trademark license. It is freely available to use by the general public without needing permission from anyone. Public domain works are not owned by anyone. 

There are four common ways that works arrive in the public domain:

• the copyright has expired
• the copyright owner failed to follow copyright renewal rules
• the copyright owner deliberately places it in the public domain
• copyright law does not protect this type of work.

• In general, works published before 1925 are now in the public domain. There are other circumstances under which works may be in public domain earlier.  This page from Cornell University shows the various copyright terms.
• The copyright holder may include words such as "This work is dedicated to the public domain" or include various Creative Commons licenses on the work.
• Some things cannot be copyrighted  (Copyright Circular 33 - Works not protected by copyright.):
  • Ideas, methods, and systems, processes, concepts, principles or discoveries
  • Works not fixed in a tangible form
  • Names, titles, short phrases, slogans
  • Typeface, fonts, and lettering
  • Blank forms
  • Familiar symbols and designs,
  • Listings of ingredients or contents