FIGURE 2.5 Creative Commons CC0 Icon
The CC icons are visual symbols that convey
the basic permissions associated with a
particular type of CC license or tool.
Available for download at
https://creativecommons.org/about/downloads
- cannot be copyrighted, such as official texts of a legislative, administrative, and legal nature. Furthermore, in some countries, works created by government employees are excluded from copyright protection and are not eligible for copyright. Facts and ideas are never copyrightable.
- The creator dedicates the work to the public domain before its copyright has expired.
- In most parts of the world, a creator can decide to forego the protections of copyright and dedicate their work to the public domain. Creative Commons has a legal tool called CC0 (“CC Zero”) Public Domain Dedication that helps authors put their works into the worldwide public domain to the greatest extent possible. You’ll learn more about this tool (and other Creative Commons legal tools) later in this book.
- The copyright holder failed to comply with the formalities required to acquire or maintain their copyright.
- Today in most countries, there are no formal requirements to acquire or renew copyright protection over a work. This was not always the case, however, and many works have entered the public domain over the years because a creator failed to adhere to these formalities.
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A WORK THAT IS IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN?
You can do almost anything, but it depends on the scope and duration of copyright protection in the particular country where the work is used. Depending on the country, for example, a work in the public domain may still be covered by moral rights that last beyond the duration of copyright. It’s also possible that a work is in the public domain in one country but is still under copyright in another country. This means you may not be able to use the work freely where copyright still applies.
