What is the meaning of in the public domain?

The public domain contains:

• everything that is not protected by copyright or other intellectual property law;
• in other words, everything that may be used by anyone without permission.

Ideas are not subject to copyright; only their expression is protected.
Similarly, none of the following are subject to copyright:

• concepts, discoveries, methods, principles, procedures, processes, systems, theorems;
• work that the legal owner has placed in the public domain; and
• work in which the copyright has expired.

Next: Important Cautions regarding Public Domain.
Back: The Duration of Copyright Protection.
Up: Outline of This Session.

Copyright © March, 1997, by Carol Scheftic (based on original work at The Geometry Center and used with permission). All rights reserved.
Please send comments on this page, or requests for permission to re-use material from this page, to: scheftic@geom.umn.edu