Public Domain: Sources for Learning More

Information on the public domain

A web comic book about copyright

An interactive tool to help determine the copyright status of a work that was first published in the United States. (Note: requires Flash)

This report addresses the question of what libraries and archives are legally empowered to do to preserve and make accessible for research their holdings of pre-1972 commercial recordings, the large aural legacy that is not protected by federal copyright.

This report addresses the question of what libraries and archives are legally empowered to do to preserve and make accessible for research their holdings of unpublished pre-1972 sound recordings.

This circular describes the changes to the law that affect duration and gives details about terms of protection for copyrights secured and renewed on certain dates.

Its mission is to promote research and scholarship on the contributions of the public domain to speech, culture, science and innovation, to promote debate about the balance needed in our intellectual property system and to translate academic research into public policy solutions.

This site provides information on finding and using public domain material in the United States.

This ongoing project presents records of copyright ownership from the United States Copyright Office for the period from July 1891 through December 1977. The Catalogs of Copyright Entries (CCEs) are published compilations of copyright registration records cataloged in periods ranging from semiweekly to semiannually.

This circular offers some practical guidance on what to look for if you are making a copyright investigation.