Main Page: Copyright at Bryan College of Health Sciences: Basics: Public Domain

Basics: Public Domain

What's the public domain?

The public domain refers to those works that are not copyright protected and that can be used freely, without seeking permission. There are a number of ways a work may pass into the public domain, including the following, though you should always check carefully to determine that a particular work really is in the public domain before assuming that you may use it. NOTE: Open Access resources are not necessarily in the public domain. Copyright status of Open Access articles needs to be determined on a case-by-case basis.

United States Government Documents (note that foreign documents may be copyrighted)
Materials that have used a Creative Commons license instead of copyright, which gives you permission to share and use materials
When copyrights expire the materials move into the public domain
Factual and non-creative works like telephone books, standard tables of chemical information, etc.

Additional Resources:

- Copyright Terms and the Public Domain Chart
  - This chart from the Cornell University Library illustrates when works (books, sound recordings, etc.) pass into the public domain.
- Is It Protected by Copyright?
  - This digital slider created by the American Library Association Office for Information Technology Policy is an easy reference tool for deciding if a work is in the public domain. Requires Flash.