Public Domain Content

[Lee]

So i was curious to see how many of you folks actually knew what public domain content was?

As i mentioned in the thread about ex-boyfriend sites, currently there is a lengthy discussion on GFY and someone in that thread posted that the content was published on the internet and therefore became 'public domain' that got me wondering about how many people actually realize what qualifies as public domain content because, despite what you may think, there are certain types of images/content that you actually can use for free on the web, even for commercial purposes.

So does anyone here know what makes an image qualify to be used as public domain on a website?

Regards,

Lee

[pornlaw]

All most nothing is considered public domain in the US. Each country has specific laws though. In the US Copyright is for the life of the author + 70 years. Now there are exceptions to content created before 1978 when the Copyright Act was last revised but to be on the safe side assume that it is protected. And the Berne Convention also makes exceptions for works created between 1978-1988 but these are tricky.

If you want to use something under the Fair Use Doctrine I would strongly suggest getting a legal opinion first or at least doing the necessary research as to the author.

Michael

[Lee]

All most nothing is considered public domain in the US.

Really?

There's actually quite a bit of stuff that i can think of that would legally fall under 'public domain' just from the government alone.

Regards,

Lee

[pornlaw]

Really?

There's actually quite a bit of stuff that i can think of that would legally fall under 'public domain' just from the government alone.

Regards,

Lee

I was staying specific to your content topic. Yes, anything the government publishes is public domain and can be used... except for certain things like logos and such.

Michael

[SirGuy]

Content must be explicitly labeled as "Royalty-Free" or "Public Domain" by the copyright owner for it to be freely used without penalty.