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Copyright, Fair Use, & Author Rights: Public Domain

Is it in the Public Domain?

Works fall under the public domain through:

expiration of copyright: the copyright has expired.
failure to renew copyright: the owner failed to follow copyright renewal rules.
dedication: the owner deliberately places it in the public domain.
no copyright protection available: copyright law does not protect this type of work.

Chart to Determine Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States
© Peter B. Hirtle. Use of this chart is governed by the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

No Known Copyright Restrictions

The Commons
Cultural institutions participating Flickr’s“"The Commons," have reasonably concluded that the photographs they share are free of copyright restrictions are invited to share such photograph under the usage guideline called "no known copyright restrictions."

Public Domain Resources

The Public Domain Review - a not-for-profit project dedicated to showcasing the most interesting and unusual out-of-copyright works available online.

Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the U.S. - a helpful chart from Cornell University Library