Every creative work that is no longer protected by a copyright, trademark, or patent is in the public domain. When a creative work is no longer protected, the general public owns it rather than the original inventor. As a result, anybody may copy, perform, or otherwise use the work. The only requirement is that you do not have to ask permission from anyone who might claim ownership over the work. All works written before 1923 are now in the public domain. Copyright protection for these works expires 70 years after the author's death (or 95 years after publication if the work was published before 1923). After this time, they can be reproduced and used freely without asking permission from the creator's family or estate. Works written between 1923 and 1978 were under copyright protection for an initial term of 28 years. Since 1979, all new works have been protected by copyright for a term of seventy years after the author's death. This means that if you want your work to be eligible for the public domain, you need to apply by March 2023. It is important to note that just because something is in the public domain does not mean that it cannot be protected by other laws. For example, trademarks and patents protect their associated products and processes so they cannot be used by others unless they choose to release them from those protections. It is also important to remember that the public domain only applies to material that is not protected by copyright.