- University Libraries Databases
- WMU Research Guides
- Copyright and Licensing
- Is a work in the public domain?
Copyright and Licensing
Public Domain in the United States
- Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United StatesUse this chart to determine whether or not a work is in the public domain (free of copyright protection) in the United States based on the type of work and the date of creation or publication. Works published in the U.S. before 1928 are now in the public domain. In January 2025, works published in 1929 in the U.S. will enter the public domain.
- Public Domain SliderThis interactive tool by Michael Brewer & ALA Office for Information Technology Policy allows users to select relevant facts about a work to determine if it is in the public domain.
Public Domain in Canada
- Copyright Educational Resources: Public Domain in CanadaUse this information from the University of British Columbia to determine whether a work is in the public domain in Canada, usually based on the death date of the creator.
Copyright and Public Domain in Other Countries
Copyright law is different in different countries. What is in the public domain in the United States might not be in the public domain in other countries, and vice versa.
- Public Domain (from the International Music Score Library Project)This page, on the website of the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP) contains some tables outlining basic differences between how copyright terms are defined in Canada, the United States, and the European Union and Russia.
Definitions
Public Domain -- the legal status of works that are not protected by copyright, either because their creators intentionally (or unintentionally) relinquished copyright protection, or because copyright protection has expired. Anyone is free to use works that are in the public domain without permission.
Copyright -- the name for a set of exclusive rights to use intellectual works, typically these are retained by the creator of the work, or transferred to a publisher.
Open Access -- a term identifying works that are freely available to the public, usually distributed via the World Wide Web -- they may or may not also be in the public domain.
Creative Commons -- a set of predetermined licenses that copyright owners can use to automatically allow people to make use of copyright-protected works in specified ways under specified conditions.
