Learning Objectives

Once you've completed this module, you'll be able to: 

• explain that some works are not protected by copyright because they have aged out of its protection
• explain that some works are ineligible for copyright protection because they are the publications of the US federal government
• understand that public domain works can be used without asking permission or paying royalties
• explain how using a public domain work without permission does not mean that it can be used without attributing the source 
• name 1923 as the easy cut off date before which works published in the U.S. are in the public domain
• name 1890 as the easy cut off date before which works published elsewhere are in the public domain
• explain the current U.S. public domain law (life plus 70, publication plus 95, creation plus 120, and when each applies)
• use the Public Domain Helper tool to determine the public domain status of works that are more ambiguous
• understand that some works from the mid-20th century may remain ambiguous because the records that would help determine whether they are in the public domain or not are unavailable