Yes, if the selection, coordination or arrangement of them is sufficiently creative and original, then a compilation copyright may be claimed in a collection of public domain works. The owner of a copyright in a compilation of public domain works, however, does not acquire copyrights in the public domain works themselves.
Can a compilation copyright be claimed in a collection of public domain works? Read More »
No. Any number of people can make derivative works based on the same public domain work. If each derivative work is original , creative, authored by a human, and fixed in a tangible medium, then each creator of a derivative work can claim and register a copyright in the work he or she created. The
Yes, a copyright may be registered in a derivative work that is based on a public domain work if the modifications made in the derivative work are sufficiently original, creative, authored by a human, and fixed in a tangible medium of expression. You will need to exclude the public domain material from your claim.
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No. If you make a derivative work that is based on a public domain work, you can only claim copyright in the derivative work, not in the original public domain work. Creating a derivative work that incorporates elements of a public domain work does not “resurrect” the copyright that has entered the public domain. Once
Yes, you can make a derivative work that is based on a public domain work without incurring liability for copyright infringement. Making a derivative work based on a public domain work is not infringement. Public domain works are not protected by copyright, so there is nothing to infringe.
No. Copyright infringement can occur only if copyright protection exists. A public domain work is not protected by copyright, so there is nothing to infringe. Therefore, copying, distributing, performing, or displaying a public domain work is not copyright infringement. Copying, distributing, performing or displaying a work that is a modification or a compilation of a
Creative Commons-licensed works are not necessarily in the public domain. A work with a “CC0 ” (CC Zero) dedication may have the effect of dedicating it to the public domain. Other kinds of Creative Commons licenses, however, do not have that effect. Creative Commons “share alike” licenses, such as CC BY-SA 2.5 ,might authorize sharing
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An orphan work is one as to which the owner of the copyright is difficult or impossible to ascertain or find. Orphan works are not necessarily in the public domain.
What are “orphan works” and are they in the public domain? Read More »
Yes. Works created by federal employees in the course of the employment are in the public domain. Works created for the federal government by independent contractors, on the other hand, are not necessarily in the public domain. Works the federal government acquires through transfers of ownership are not necessarily in the public domain either
Are works created by federal government employees in the public domain? Read More »
No. Most online works are protected by copyright. Publishing a work to the Internet is not equivalent to dedicating the work to the public domain. This is true even if a work is published to the Internet without a copyright notice. It is dangerous to assume that a work is free to use just because
Is everything that is published on the Internet in the public domain? Read More »
