The term public domain refers to anything the public can easily access to for public use and of free of charge. Thus, these includes, materials ( books, magazines, videos, audios, pictures, articles, journals etc.), processes, devices, skills, and plans that are not protected by copyright or patent, including those on which copyright or patent has lapsed.
Terms and Conditions
As pd defined as anything (creative works) that is not protected by copyright, there are conditions and reasons why a certain work is considered of public use and be included in the pd archive. Here are some of the reasons why is it so..
A) REASONS WHY A CREATIVE WORK IS NOT PROTECTED
a. The term of the copyright has expired
b. The author failed to satisfy statutory formalities of the copyright
c. The work is a work of the U.S. government
B) TERMS AND CONDITION
The date of work, protection from, and terms for protection are to be considered for a creative work. Example, all works published before 1923 are considered in public domain. That is, term of joint work is measured by the life of the longest live author. So for publications from 1923-63 and from 1964-77 it should be published with notice. Thus the term may vary from the dates it was published. For example, those works that were published from 1923-63, its term is 28 years plus could be renewed for 47 years, now extended for 20 years for a total of 67 years. So that if that term expires and is not renewed then that work will fall on the public domain.
To find more information on public domain visit: Public Domain Secret & The Forbidden Thread.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sheldon_Quinain
