Beware of these myths about copyrighted materials:

If it doesn’t have a copyright notice, it’s not copyrighted.
That use to be correct. However, almost everything created privately and originally after April 1, 1989 is copyrighted and protected whether it has a notice or not.

If I don’t charge for it, it’s not a violation.
Wrong again. It is a violation if you copy and give copyrighted works away. There are serious penalties and damages awarded if you hurt the commercial value of the property when giving it away.

Let’s establish that anything that is public domain is free, meaning that if you want it, you just take it. You don’t have to pay for it and you don’t have to tell anybody you took it. It’s there for everybody to have. That’s why it’s called public domain.

This is one of the reasons why you’ll go into a book store and see a “collection” of works by some author from long ago. Most likely, all his works are now in the public domain and somebody was smart enough to realize that people might be interested in reading some of these long lost treasures or obscure works. Sometimes unknown writers and their works of literature become quite popular with just the right spin. The key is finding them.

Pronunciation: ‘publik dow’meyn
Definition: [noun] property rights that are held by the public at large

(Public Domain) The total absence of copyright protection. If something is “in the public domain” then anyone can copy it or use it in any way they wish. The author has none of the exclusive rights which apply to a copyright work.

The phrase “public domain” is often used incorrectly to refer to freeware or shareware (software which is copyrighted but is distributed without (advance) payment). Public domain means no copyright — no exclusive rights. In fact the phrase “public domain” has no legal status at all in the UK.

Many people seem to think that putting a copyright notice on their work protects their rights. They are only partly right. Registering the copyright is an important step. If you register your copyright before an infringement occurs, you have a great deal more leverage in enforcing your rights.

Question: What does Copyright Law protect?

Copyright Law protects original works of authorship, including artistic and literary works for the life of the creator plus 70 years. This means that the copyright owner has the exclusive right to license, reproduce, perform, and display the work (subject to the “fair use” doctrine discussed below).