Source: http://www.photosecrets.com/public-domain
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 00:20:40+00:00

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Public domain refers to artwork that does not have copyright protection, usually because it has expired. Artworks in the public domain are copyright-free and anyone can use them in any way and for any purpose. Yes, that’s right — they’re free!
A work of authorship is in the “public domain” if it is no longer under copyright protection or if it failed to meet the requirements for copyright protection. Works in the public domain may be used freely without the permission of the former copyright owner.
Sorry, it is not a place. Being in the public domain just means that the work is not in private ownership but is conceptually in a public space for the public to use.
There is no listing of what is actually available for public use. Since copyright laws vary by country, artwork that may be in the public domain in one country may not be in another country. What is in the public domain is work that is not under copyright protection.
How do Works enter the Public Domain?
Copyright Ineligible: Some works are not covered under copyright law.
Copyright Expired: The time of copyright protection has been and gone.
Copyright Released: The copyright holder gave the work to the public.
Some works are instantly in the public domain, since they cannot be copyrighted. For example, facts, U.S. federal laws, ideas, and concepts are not covered by U.S. copyright law and thus have no protection from public use.
Facts that are in the U.S. public domain include addresses, phone numbers, most scientific data, sports scores, and polling results (see Feist v. Rural, 1991). Note however that someone’s selection and presentation of facts may merit copyright protection.
straight-on photos of two-dimensional art when the artwork is in the public domain (see Bridgeman Art Library v. Corel Corp., 1999).
work not created by humans, such as illegal spam from a computer or a painting by a chimpanzee.
typefaces (as designs and characters) and calligraphy, since utility benefits the public.
Old artwork is in the public domain. Although copyright may once have applied, copyright has a time limit and when older works fall out of copyright, they fall into the public domain.
1923 and earlier: All works anywhere in the world are public domain.
1923 to 1978: Possibly 95 years after publication.
1978 onwards: Generally the life of the author plus 70 years.
For more detailed information, see Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States by Peter Hirtle at Cornell University.
Increasingly on the Internet, some works have been voluntarily placed into the public domain. The creator, in a spurt of generosity, included a release statement to abdicate the copyright and make the work available for unlimited public use.
A copyright holder can easily place a creation into the public domain. They simply state, to the effect: “I release all rights to the work.” There is even a webpage to release your work into the public domain hosted by Creative Commons.
Once granted into public use, the author probably has no further rights to the work, and probably cannot revoke the release or regain any rights (this has not yet been confirmed under law). The work is freely available to everyone to use with no strings attached.
If you are using such a work for profit, you would be wise to get a copy of the author’s release statement just in case copyright is disputed.
The term Public Domain is sometimes confused with other related terms.
These are opposing terms. If a work has copyright, it is by definition not in the public domain. If a work is in the public domain, it has no copyright.
Fair use is part of copyright, so the previous explanation applies. Works covered by copyright are not in the public domain but may be used without permission from the copyright holder for news, education or other public-interest or non-profit applications considered “fair use.” Works that are in the public domain have no copyright so fair use does not apply — any use is permissible, fair or otherwise.
Creative Commons is similar to, but different than, public domain. Creative Commons is a type of licensing that allows others to use and build upon works. It is not a law and the works are usually still covered by copyright law and thus are not in the public domain.
There are several ways that a work can be in the public domain: it was never eligible for copyright in the first place, or the copyright has expired, or the copyright has been abandoned or forfeited. Most photos in the public domain are there because they’re old and their copyright either never existed or has expired.
How do I know what is in the public domain?
The public domain is, unfortunately, not a place. It’s more like an absence of a place — a catchall phrase to describe works that don’t have copyrights for people to own. Since there’s nothing for people to own, no one keeps track of what is there. So unfortunately you can’t confirm what is in the public domain, only what is not in the public domain. Below is a guide.
“Is there a list of works that are in the public domain?
One author that creates no copyrights is the federal government.
So any federal photos, text, or other work is in the public domain, available for anyone to use.
— Bridgeman Art Library v. Corel Corp., 1999.
— Wikipedia, Bridgeman Art Library v. Corel Corp.
— 1961 Report of the Register of Copyrights on the General Revision of the U.S. Copyright Law.
Most old photos are available, as they either never had copyright or, if they did, it no longer exists. Photos are preserved but their copyrights expire.
When do photos enter the public domain?
When in the year does copyright expire?
Can I use a photo that is in the public domain?
If I use a photo that is in the public domain, does my copyright stop other people from using that photo?
Can I use a copyrighted photo in my artwork?
“Only the owner of copyright in a work has the right to prepare, or to authorize someone else to create, a new version of that work. The owner is generally the author or someone who has obtained rights from the author.
A photo does not have copyright when the author failed to satisfy statutory formalities to perfect the copyright, or the term of copyright for the work has expired. A photo that has no copyright is said to be in the “public domain” and can be used by anyone.
Note: The 1923 date will change in 2018 to year-95.
Under the 1909 Act, works published without notice went into the public domain upon publication. Works published without notice between 1-1-78 and 3-1-89, effective date of the Berne Convention Implementation Act, retained copyright only if efforts to correct the accidental omission of notice was made within five years, such as by placing notice on unsold copies. 17 U.S.C. § 405.
Term of joint works is measured by life of the longest-lived author.
Works for hire, anonymous and pseudonymous works also have this term. 17 U.S.C. § 302(c).

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