This chart contains some rules of thumb that will help you confirm the copyright status of a work if you know when the work was created or published. If the work was published in the United States prior to , it is in the public domain.
For works published between and March 1, , it depends on whether the certain statutory formalities were observed, such as providing a notice of copyright or following proper procedure for renewing the copyright.
Copyright Office. If the work was published in the United States between and without a notice , it is in the public domain. Note: If the work published during this period has a notice, it may be protected for 95 years from the date of publication. Only the copyright owner can dedicate a work to the public domain.
Sometimes, the creator of the work is not the copyright owner and does not have authority. If in doubt, contact the copyright owner to verify the dedication. There are some things that copyright law does not protect. These things are free for all to use without authorization. Short phrases, names, titles, or small groups of words are considered common idioms of the English language and are free for anyone to use. However, a short phrase used as an advertising slogan is protectable under trademark law.
In that case, you could not use a similar phrase for the purpose of selling products or services. A fact or a theory—for example, the fact that a comet will pass by the Earth in —is not protected by copyright. If a scientist discovered this fact, anyone would be free to use it without asking for permission from the scientist. Similarly, if someone creates a theory that the comet can be destroyed by a nuclear device, anyone could use that theory to create a book or movie. However, the unique manner in which a fact is expressed may be protected.
Therefore, if a filmmaker created a movie about destroying a comet with a nuclear device, the specific way he presented the ideas in the movie would be protected by copyright. In some cases, you are not free to copy a collection of facts because the collection of facts may be protectable as a compilation.
A-Level Media Studies. Prompt one. Prompt two. Prompt three. Prompt four. Myth-Reality Cards. Copyright Bite 1. Copyright Bite 2. Copyright Bite 3. They could reinterpret it, tell it from the perspective of Myrtle or Jordan, or make prequels and sequels. As explained in a New York Times editorial:. When a work enters the public domain it means the public can afford to use it freely, to give it new currency The public domain also enables access to cultural materials that might otherwise be lost to history.
The vast majority of works from are out of circulation. When they enter the public domain in , anyone can make them available online, where we can discover, enjoy, and breathe new life into them. Empirical studies have shown that public domain books are less expensive, available in more editions and formats, and more likely to be in print—see here , here , and here.
The works listed above are just the tip of the iceberg. Many more forgotten works are waiting to be rediscovered. Unfortunately, the fact that works from are legally available does not mean they are actually available.
After 95 years, many of these works are already lost or literally disintegrating as with old films 7 and recordings , evidence of what long copyright terms do to the conservation of cultural artifacts. For example, sequences that were shot in two-tone Technicolor from two of the films above, The Merry Widow and Pretty Ladies , are apparently lost. For the material that has survived, however, the long-awaited entry into the public domain is still something to celebrate.
Many of the works featured above are famous; that is why we included them. Their copyright holders benefitted from 20 more years of copyright because the works had enduring popularity, and were still earning royalties. But when Congress extended the copyright term for works like The Great Gatsby , it also did so for all of the works whose commercial viability had long ended. Yet they remained off limits, for no good reason. After 75 years, that percentage is even lower.
The unauthorized translation was 10 cents, and sold a half million copies in 10 days. It was He was sued for copyright infringement, and lost in court. Current copyright law no longer has these requirements. On January 1, , the public will know that works published in are free for use without tedious or inconclusive research.
In an abundance of caution, our lists above primarily include works where we were able to track down the renewal data suggesting that they are still in-copyright through the end of , and affirmatively entering the public domain in However, there were many exciting works from for which we could not locate renewals. They will also be in the public domain in , but may have entered the public domain decades ago due to lack of renewal.
Some authors choose to dedicate their works to the public domain before the end of the copyright term. In , musician and mathematician Tom Lehrer, who became famous for his satirical songs in the s and s, put all of his lyrics and original compositions into the public domain.
You can find them here. Works from are finally entering the public domain, after a year copyright term. However, under the laws that were in effect until , thousands of works from would be entering the public domain this year. Have a look at some of the others.
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