Copyright

What's the deal with the © ?

What is copyright?

Why should you care about copyright?

What does copyright protect and what does it NOT protect?

► What are works in the "public domain?"

What is "fair use?"

How can you avoid copyright infringement?

Is it copyright infringement?
(interactive game)

What are works in the "public domain?"

Copyright does not last forever.  When works stop being protected by copyright, they fall into the "public domain."  A work in the public domain may be freely copied by anyone. 

What makes something public domain?  That's a tricky question!  It all depends on when the work was created and if/when the creator has died. 

Below are some resources which will give you more information on public domain.

Websites:

Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States
http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/training/Hirtle_Public_Domain.htm

How to Determine Whether a Work is in the Public Domain
http://www.public.asu.edu/~dkarjala/publicdomain/SearchC-R.html

New Rules For Using Public Domain Materials
http://copylaw.com/new_articles/PublicDomain.html

Books:

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