Public domain

The public domain comprises works and information not subject to exclusive intellectual-property rights, including material whose protection has expired or never applied.

Copyright: A legal framework granting creators temporary exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, and adapt original works. Copyright is the main protection whose expiration can place a work in the public domain.
Copyright expiration: The ending of copyright protection after the applicable legal term has elapsed. Expiration is the most common route by which protected works enter the public domain.
Creative Commons CC0: A legal tool designed to waive copyright and related rights to the fullest extent possible worldwide. CC0 offers a standardized way to dedicate a work to the public domain.
Copyright license: Permission from a rights holder to use a copyrighted work under stated conditions. A license grants specified uses, while public-domain material generally needs no copyright license.
Cultural heritage: The inherited practices, objects, knowledge, and works that communities value and transmit across generations. Public-domain access helps preserve and circulate cultural works across generations.
Copyright term: The legally defined period during which copyright protection lasts. A work generally enters the public domain when its copyright term ends.
Public domain dedication: A rights holder's attempt to relinquish copyright and related rights in a work for unrestricted public use. A dedication can place a work in the public domain before its copyright would otherwise expire.
Wikisource: A Wikimedia project that hosts freely reusable source texts, including many public-domain works. Its collections make public-domain texts accessible in digital form.
Creative Commons licenses: Standardized licenses that let creators grant public permissions while retaining copyright. Creative Commons licenses impose conditions that public-domain works do not carry.
Digital preservation: The maintenance of digital materials so they remain accessible and usable over time. Public-domain status can simplify preservation and redistribution of digitized works.

Linked from 51 pages