What is public domain?
Q: What is public domain?
A: Public domain is a phrase that describes something that belongs to all people in general, such as books, films, or paintings, which are not under copyright protection.
Q: What is the opposite of public domain?
A: The opposite of public domain is copyrighted material, which is owned either by the creator of the work or their estate.
Q: How do works enter the public domain?
A: Works can enter the public domain in many ways, such as when the copyright expires after a certain amount of time (usually 50 or 70 years) after its creator dies; when the work's creator legally gives up all claims to it; if it was created by agencies of certain governments; if it was made by an animal; or if there is missing an owner, year or copyright symbol (for works before 1989).
Q: Is attribution still required for works in the public domain?
A: In some cases, if a work enters the public domain after copyright expiration, anyone using the work may still be required to note who created it.
Q: Are there any restrictions on using works in the public domain?
A: Even though some works are in the public domain due to not being copyrighted, there may be still non-copyright usage restrictions. For example counterfeiting national currencies may be illegal even though their design may not be eligible for copyright protection. Additionally logos and images with text and simple shapes may not be copyrighted but they could still be protected by trademarks.
Q: Who are some examples of creators whose works have entered into public domain?
A: Examples include Leonardo da Vinci, William Shakespeare and Ludwig van Beethoven and Isaac Newton whose books have become part of public domain.
