Public Domain
What is "public domain?"
Works that fall into public domain can be used without obtaining permission because they are no longer protected by intellectual property laws (copyright, trademark, or patent laws).
Public Domain Day 2022
January 1, 2022 is Public Domain Day in the US. Works from 1926 have now entered the public domain.
For more information about new releases into public domain, information about future public domain days, and the "Sonny Bono extension," see:
- Public Domain Day 2019HathiTrust's "Additional Resources for Public Domain Day 2019" provides some good background information.
Information about Public Domain
- ABSOLUTELY FREE! MUSIC, TEXT, AND ART!! COPY ALL YOU WANT!!from Stanford University
- Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United Statesfrom Cornell University Library
- Is this material still under copyright? : Digital Copyright Sliderfrom the American Library Association
- Public Domain Calculatorfrom Europeana
Creative Commons
- Creative CommonsCreative Commons develops, supports, and stewards legal and technical infrastructure that maximizes digital creativity, sharing, and innovation.
- CC SearchYou can use the CC search tool to help you identify materials licensed under Creative Commons and those in the public domain.
Books at the Lucille Caudill Little Fine Arts Library
Music in the Public Domain: A List of Musical Titles with Expired Copyrights [...] by Call Number: REF ML113.H390 1994Katzmarek's Encyclopedia of Public Domain Music by
Call Number: REF ML113.K33 1993b
Links to Public Domain Music Sites
- IMSLP: International Music Score Library ProjectVirtual library containing public domain music scores, sheet music, and scores from composers who are willing to share their music free of charge.