Copyright and the Public Domain

The public domain—the body of creative works not entitled to copyright protection—is the world's greatest intellectual resource. Unfortunately, it can be extraordinarily hard to determine whether a work (or part of a work) is in the public domain.

The first book of its kind, Copyright and the Public Domain brings much‐needed clarity to the question of what is protected by copyright and what is not. In plain language, it explains how and why works of authorship enter the public domain. It provides detailed coverage of: copyright requirements; the duration of copyright; copyright forfeiture and abandonment; the “publication” requirement; non-protectible elements within a copyrighted work; restoration of copyrights to foreign works under GATT; conducting copyright renewal searches; non-copyright restrictions that may protect works in the public domain; and many other important issues.

Filled with pragmatic guidance on an often bewildering subject, it will help you determine which statutory regime applies to a work, what the copyright term is, and what common traps you should avoid. This authoritative and accessible new book fills an important gap in the legal literature and is an essential addition to any intellectual property law library.