Copyright & Music: 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).

• Creative Commons supports open access and their Mission Statement reads as follows:

Creative Commons develops, supports, and stewards legal and technical infrastructure that maximizes digital creativity, sharing, and innovation.

• You can use the CC search tool to help you identify materials licensed under Creative Commons and those in the public domain:

     CC Search

January 1, 2020 is Public Domain Day in the US. Works from 1924 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

• Duke University's Center for Public Domain and Public Domain Day 2020 page
• HathiTrust's  Additional Resources for Public Domain Day from 2019 provides more background information
• Copyright Term Extension Act

Stanford University
     ABSOLUTELY FREE! MUSIC, TEXT, AND ART!! COPY ALL YOU WANT!! 

Public Domain Information Project 
     Public Domain Info (music copyright, public domain, and lists of public domain sheet music)

American Library Association
     "Is this material still under copyright?"  Digital Copyright Slider

Europeana
     Public Domain Calculator

UK Research Guide
     Music Scores Online

International Music Score Library Project
      IMSLP