Public Domain Information (FAQ)

What is Public Domain Information?
Anything which legally has no owner is said to be in the public domain. Once there was even public domain land, but now public domain is pretty much limited to intellectual property where copyright protection has expired or the creator has formally given his work to the public. There is no "official" list of public domain property because something becomes public domain due to the absence of any law giving anyone claim to ownership. For example, if no one can find any law which gives them legal claim to a property, then that property is considered in the public domain.

What is Intellectual Property?
Intellectual property is any product of the human intellect where ownership can be claimed and protected by law. This includes creative works such as music, lyrics, books, poetry, or art as well as more typical business applications such as inventions, chemical and biological advances, or computer software systems. Intellectual property is most often protected by copyright, patent, and trademark laws.

What is a Copyright?
A copyright is a "limited duration monopoly" provided by the U.S. Constitution to authors, inventors, and other creative individuals. Copyright law is written to encourage the growth of knowledge by giving authors and artists limited time exclusive rights to use and profit from their creations. If a song or book or anything else is under copyright protection, you cannot use it without the author's permission. Usually a music copyright owner will charge fees called "royalties" in exchange for permission to use his music.

What Can Be Protected by Copyright Law?
Any original creative work expressed in a tangible form can be protected by copyright. In addition to music and lyrics, this includes items such as books, letters, paintings, movies, television programs, computer software, photographs, and video games. Ideas and facts cannot be protected by copyright law, although they can in some instances be protected under patent or trademark law.

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