What is Public Domain?

The public domain is not a place. It consists of all works that never had copyright protection and works that no longer have copyright protection. All works in the public domain are free for the public to use. Works published in the United States prior to 1924 are in the public domain. The public domain also includes most works created by the United States government. For example, Census reports, which are compiled and published by the United States government are in the public domain.

How do works falls under the public domain?

According to the Standford University School of Law, the works falls under the public domain if:

1. The duration of copyright in the work has expired.
2. The work was produced by the U.S. federal government.
3. The work didn't include a proper copyright notice prior to 1 March 1989.
4. The work isn't fixed in a tangible form.
5. The work doesn't have sufficient originality.