Hello SErs, Harmony here! Well, it’s September already, and I cannot believe where the time has gone. Speaking of time, it has great relevance for our writing, or more specifically, what we might want to use therein. The timing of a work with copyright determines whether our use of it remains within legal limits. Two things work in tandem here: Copyright and Public Domain.
PUBLIC DOMAIN … what is it and when does Copyright fall into it?
Public Domain status on a work allows a person unrestricted access and unlimited creativity. Any works that fall within Public Domain are not restricted by Copyright and do not need a license or fee to use.
Some writers and artists enter their work into the Public Domain immediately so that it is freely available for others to use. Most writers, however, will put a Copyright on what they produce. By adding the © (Copyright) symbol and a year, you remove your creation from the Public Domain and set a time-limit on its restriction. Copyright doesn’t last forever.
THREE WAYS TO GET INTO PUBLIC DOMAIN
- The creator assigns it to the Public Domain.
The Copyright expires (see below).
Certain things are excluded automatically because they are not Copyrightable:
- Titles, names, short phrases and slogans, familiar symbols, numbers
- Ideas and facts (e.g., the date of the Gettysburg Address)
- Processes and systems
- Some Government works and documents
EXPIRATION OF COPYRIGHT
The following pertain to US Copyright laws. Individual countries have their own specific rules and guidelines, so if you are not a US citizen, it is worth researching your particular country’s laws on this.
US works in the Public Domain:
- All works published in the US before 1923
- All works published with a copyright notice from 1923 through 1963 without copyright renewal
- All works published without a copyright notice from 1923 through 1977
- All works published without a copyright notice from 1978 through March 1, 1989, and without subsequent registration within 5 years
WARNING: Even though the original work might be in the Public Domain, if it has been translated, then the translators may still own Copyright, so it is always worth checking, if the original author is of foreign nationality to yours.
To keep it legal, you can go to certain sites on the Web that hold most works in the Public Domain. The most useful of which I have found for books is Project Gutenberg. And Pixabay is a great resource for images. Do check the licenses, though, before downloading.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND PUBLIC DOMAIN WORKS
- Smithsonian Institution Public Domain Images
- New York Times Public Domain Archives
- Project Gutenberg, a collection of public domain electronic books
- Librivox, public domain audio books
- Prelinger Archives; a vast collection of advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur films.
- Pixabay; a vast collection of license free and Public Domain images.
Thank you for stopping by today!