{"id":212,"date":"2021-12-10T13:53:44","date_gmt":"2021-12-10T13:53:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/?p=212"},"modified":"2026-10-08T10:33:58","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T09:33:58","slug":"what-is-the-public-domain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/2021\/12\/10\/what-is-the-public-domain\/","title":{"rendered":"4. What is the public domain?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Public Domain (PD) consists of creative works <strong>not subject to copyright<\/strong> to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply (no licence can apply, not even the <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/2021\/12\/09\/what-are-the-creative-commons-licences\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Creative Commons licences<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Such creative works are publicly available, and new creativity and knowledge may be built from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No acknowledgements are legally required, but it is proper to do so to demonstrate academic integrity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">See <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/2021\/12\/14\/how-do-i-acknowledge-public-domain-material\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How do you reference and acknowledge Public Domain material?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PD allows one to do almost anything to a creation; however, a work in the PD&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>May still be covered by moral rights in some countries<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Could still be under copyright in some countries (limiting the use of the work where it still applies)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>May still be subject to other IP restrictions (such as trademark protection, which is independent of copyright protection and may still exist even though the work is in the Public Domain)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Any reproduction of work in the public domain may be freshly subject to copyright.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are two public domain tools:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/zero.xlarge-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"A zero with a line through it, inside a circle.\" class=\"wp-image-217\" style=\"object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/zero.xlarge-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/zero.xlarge-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/zero.xlarge.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/zero.xlarge-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/zero.xlarge-788x788.jpg 788w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/cc-zero-300x106.jpg\" alt=\"The same icon of a barred 0 with the words Public Domain, circumscribed in a rectangle.\" class=\"wp-image-218\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/cc-zero-300x106.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/cc-zero.jpg 403w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><mark class=\"has-inline-color has-accent-color\">CC0 <\/mark><\/strong>is a legal tool to enable creators to dedicate their works to the worldwide public domain to the greatest extent possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/pd.xlarge-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"A circle with a C inside and a line running diagonally across it.\" class=\"wp-image-216\" style=\"object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/pd.xlarge-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/pd.xlarge-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/pd.xlarge.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/pd.xlarge-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/pd.xlarge-788x788.jpg 788w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"106\" src=\"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/publicdomain-300x106.jpg\" alt=\"The same icon of a circle with a barred C with the words Public Domain, circumscribed in a rectangle.\" class=\"wp-image-219\" style=\"object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/publicdomain-300x106.jpg 300w, https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2056\/2021\/12\/publicdomain.jpg 403w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-paragraph\">The<mark class=\"has-inline-color has-accent-color\"> <strong>Public Domain Mark<\/strong> <\/mark>is a label used to inform the public about the public domain status of a work, and it is often used by museums and archives working with very old works. It marks works known to be free of all copyright restrictions. It is not a legal tool and has no legal effect when applied to a work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Refer to the handy workflows on <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/2022\/01\/31\/how-long-does-copyright-last\/\" target=\"_blank\">how long copyright lasts.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">See also <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/2021\/12\/10\/how-can-i-use-works-on-wikimedia-and-wikipedia\/\" target=\"_blank\">Using Wikimedia<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Back <a href=\"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Home<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"font-size:9px\">The author takes no responsibility for the content of this page, which is not intended as binding legal advice. The views are about copyright in the UK Higher Education sector context.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Public Domain (PD) consists of creative works not subject to copyright to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply (no licence can apply, not even the Creative Commons licences). Such creative works are publicly available, and new creativity and knowledge may be built from them. No acknowledgements are legally required, but it is proper [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[52,34],"tags":[90,53,54,71,36,91],"class_list":["post-212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-topics","category-public-domain","tag-cc0","tag-intellectual-property","tag-ip","tag-jurisdiction","tag-public-domain","tag-public-domain-mark"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/140"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=212"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1566,"href":"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/212\/revisions\/1566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.coventry.domains\/copyrightliteracy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}