Really interesting book, all what you need to know about public domain in plain English. I do recommend it, even if you are not an american lawyer, as it is my case.

The Public Domain shows you how you can make money with public domain books, articles, music, and more. It reveals sources of public domain books, articles, music, and so on, both old and new. Because it thoroughly examines public domain, especially legal aspects of it including finding out whether or not a work is in the public domain, it can help keep you avoid legal problems.

If you are looking for material or inspiration for any creative endevour, this book offers a huge source of material, content and ideas.

Amazon's product description reads: "...writers and artists can copy other people's work and get away with it...by dipping into the public domain, where everything is free for the taking."

However, as The Public Domain makes abundantly clear, everything in the public domain is most certainly not free for the taking. In fact, much of this book spends it's space detailing how a significant percentage of things you may find cannot be used, or explaining how many laws are unclear and therefore you dip in to the world of potential lawsuits at your own risk. By the way, if it's really important to you, you $hould probably con$ider hiring a copyright lawyer. Perhaps you will think it's a conflict of interest that the publisher, Nolo, is directly connected to a legal firm. They have a four pages describing their services at the very end.

The book does appear to be thorough and on the level, albeit often confusing to the lay person. There are some interesting examples of cases. There is a misspelling within the first five pages. Some of the graphics are plain cheesy. I suppose these are examples of what you can achieve if you dip into the public domain where "everything is free for the taking."

Nolo, the book's publisher, translated from Latin means "do not." The name seems to have quite a bit to do with their philosophy on how you might want to treat a good deal of the information you find in the public domain. You may also wish to take the publisher's name literally when deciding whether or not to purchase this book.

I teach a number of different courses and know that I am entitled to use some information under fair use. But where does this this right start and stop? This book gives a very good description of this complex law. This large and very informative book has a great deal of information for anyone interested in public domain works, whether writings, music, art, films or just about anything else. The author begins with an examination of copyright laws and the public domain. THe book then starts each of the chapters on copyrightable materials with handy checklists for use in determining public domain status. This continues with a discussion of how to determine the public domain status of such an item. After those useful chapters, the author examines the use of copyrighted and public domain works.

The book is very useful. It contains most everything you need to know in determining the public domain status of a work, and it is organized in a simple, easy-to-use format (ala the ___ for Dummies books), that is sure to inform the reader, and never lose him or her. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in whether or not something is in the public domain, and thus open to free use.

Dealing with public domain and copyright presents a thorny dilemma for writers and entrepreneurs. Nobody wants to be sued, or exploited, or miss out on the unprecedented opportunities.

If you want to know what works are in the public domain (ie copyright expired) there are 4 rules in this book. Here are two:

Rule 1: Everything published in the USA before 1923 is in the public domain.

Rule 2: Works initially published in the USA between 1923-1963 and not renewed are in the public domain.

So, whether you want to publish a classic poem on your website, or republish a classic book, or use a picture of a famous painting, or even a piece of music, you need to know the rules.

As you can imagine, the whole thing can get quite involved. That's why you need the book, as post 1923 material is more complicated.

If you want to get free material you can use this book as a great resource. I have downloaded a number of classic works for free. As you may know, a provider who sounds like my buddy Dougal has made many books available, and all books pre 1923 should be available at some point.

I hope you find this review helpful. If you were to find this review helpful, please click yes.

I was actually hope that this book would reference more sources for public domain writings and information. Instead it was a good refresher on the legal aspects of using public domain/copyright free material, once you have found it. It still doesn't substitute for a good attorney, but it would give the general audience an overview.

This is really a volume that is not designed to be read through, but to be referred to. Taken as such, it is a valuable resource for any number of fields, particularly in regards to visual or intellectual property.

Unfortunately, the one area in which is falls short is the one in which I would find most useful, and that is recorded music. In truth, this is not the fault of the book - it is because the vast majority of recorded music does not fall under the category of Public Domain yet, and won't for awhile. Regardless, there is some useful information about using printed and scored music.

This would be most useful on the shelf of any type of self-publisher. A quick check thumbing through its pages may save you some grief later. A caveat, though - I am no lawyer, and I can't make any strong claims as to the validity of the book's claims. Still, it seems like a good place to start.

Everything you could possibly ever want to know about American copyright law is included in this large 4th edition volume detailing the ever evolving world of copyright, including it's protection, public domain property, and determining whether a work is in the public domain. Mammoth book is a breeze to read, if you care to know it all, with informative and entertaining court rulings, (the classic film, "It's A Wonderful Life", for instance has an interesting and unsettled copyright history), but as a read-through, can become tedious, as it details everything copyright-able under the sun, (jewelry; a Coca-Cola bottle; the humongous world of the internet). Best used as a source book for determining how to find copyright history on a particular work.

This is an excellent book to get an introductory background to the public domain and intellectual property. It answered the questions such as:
-What works can and can't be protected by copyright?
-What is licensing and how exactly does it work?
-What exactly is the Creative Commons Licensing and how long does it last?

-I got my questions answered. This book was well worth the money.

This isn't light reading or the type of book you take to the beach (ok, I actually would do that but I'm kind of funny that way!) However, for a digital designer like myself it is a valuable resource. I create digital kits used for digital scrapbooking and I'm always on the lookout for images and fonts that are ok to use in commercial works. The copyright laws can be extremely confusing but this book made them much more accessible.

I really like the book. It is overwhelming to try and read and understand all of it but I am sure that is more due to the actual subject matter rather than how the book is written. It is well compiled and very helpful.

I originally picked up this book because I thought it would be a good resource to help me find royalty free images for a website I was putting together. I was expecting long lists of websites that I probably could have found by googling, but was too lazy to track down. But I got something completely different.

This book is a great primer for understanding copyrights and the use of the public domain. I now feel far more comfortable about locating images and text to use on my websites. I even got a lot of ideas about what I can post on my website, items I never thought of before like historical literature that has long been part of the public domain as well as recipes (I didn't know you could not copyright a basic recipe-although there are some gray areas.)

I was also interested to find out that, like many things in life, the public domain has plenty of gray areas. But this book helped a lot in finding out where the gray areas are. I used the information to find that a Robert Service poem I was going to put on line was in the public domain in the US but was copyrighted in Canada (look more gray area!)

maybe I'm a little nerdy, but once I started reading the book I couldn't stop. and every page I had another light bulb going off about another way I could use the public domain to help my website.

I recommend this book to anyone looking to use the public domain. It really opened my eyes to a world I did not even fully realize existed.

As a budding internet entrepreneur, it's always a struggle to know what I can safely use in my information products, blog, or websites. The copyright law seems so complicated and difficult, and I haven't found any easy-to-understand internet resources for figuring out what I can legally use and what's off-limits.

Enter this book - the crisp, clean design is easy to read and navigate, the organization is great for finding out info in a hurry, and the advice is clear and just what I need. Because it's a Nolo book, I have faith that the info is accurate and complete, and this book has helped me find and use a lot of fantastic free info and music that is out there for the taking.

If it saves you even an hour of time of research on copyright, which it will, this book is well worth the cover price. It also gives fantastic advice on how to preserve the copyright on your own work, which is helpful for writers and bloggers. Highly recommended.

If you are a creative artist who would like to make use of others' prior works, or if you are looking to add content to your website, or throw a big public event, this is a book for you. Especially if you don't have the money or are otherwise loath to spend it on royalties. There is a lot of talk about public domain, especially in the age of internet when online "piracy" seems to be on the rise, and publishers, recording labels and movie studios are making the news every day with a new lawsuit against one company or another concerning the unlawful use of intellectual property. Even if you are not directly affected by this and would just like to know more what constitutes public domain, I would not be able to think of a better place to start than this book. It is extremely well written, researched and documented. Every possible scenario of what would someone want to do with public property is carefully outlined and explained. Most of the explanations are well backed with the real-life court cases. This is a great book for anyone who is even remotely interested in what constitute the public domain.

Reading about The Public Domain and copyright law sounds as interesting as watching paint dry, but this incredibly well-written reference book is readable and comprehendible to individuals without any legal background; it is also complete enough for the more experienced researcher. I freelance in both the music and the fine arts fields and run my own website, so I found a wealth of useful information in this book. There is a whole treasure trove of material in the public domain that is available for use for free by anyone - a lot more than I ever would have imagined. The book opens up this world while advising what you can and cannot do with public domain material and how to tell if a work is in the public domain. The chapters are well-organized and very concise, making finding help on the fly easy. I read the first six chapters (about a third of the book) like a novel and then skipped around; it was consistently fascinating. Citing actual legal cases and giving clear examples and tips, this is likely the most comprehensive book on the subject available. The art forms that are covered are writing, music, art, photography, movies and television, computer software, architecture, maps, choreography, databases and collections, and titles. Obviously some of the information overlaps with each art form, but that means that you can go to your specific field of interest and still have the complete information you seek without having to keep flipping to other chapters. The last several chapters cover restored copyrights, the public domain outside the US, the internet and the public domain, aspects of copyright protection, traps, and research tips. Anyone working in any of the arts should have a copy of this remarkable book for reference. It could save us all a lot of time and money!

Copyright law can be a quagmire of endless questions and concerns regarding what materials are permissible for use and what are not. Nolo Press's fourth edition of "The Public Domain" represents (from a layman's point of view) a definitive tome that should be on the shelves of anyone who needs to deal with copyright issues. The book covers a vast amount of informative material regarding such diverse topics as .mp3's to choreography.

Each topic is explained fully and the implications for use and failure to abide by copyright is very thorough. This book will assist just about anyone who writes or uses materials, has created a web site, uses materials in classes, needs to use copyrighted materials in public settings of just about any kind.

I would highly recommend this book to essentially everyone who needs to use or create materials that are shared with others.

As an attorney, I've often been critical of books that presume to provide legal advice on complex subjects. They are often poorly written and dangerous to use. This book is different in that it actually provides useful advice that a lay person cam implement without using an attorney at every juncture. The chapter explaining when copyrights expire and fall into the public domain is worth the price of the book in itself. While there will certainly be times when hiring an attorney is necessary, this book explains how to identify those times and will make you a better prepared client. In addition, the writing style is fluid and interesting while the layout is logical and comprehensive. Everything is covered from music and movies to books and art work. An excellent investment.

Truth be told, I first borrowed this book from the library, then renewed it, so I see that I will want to have my own copy on hand as reference. It is clear, easy to use, and thorough. There is a ton of information on how to find and use material that is copyright free, making it immensely useful for many types of writers and artists. This is not about profiting off the work of others. Many creative individuals enjoy dipping back into the past in order to create new works, make commentary, or utilize unique visual material. This book shows you how to do so legally and economically.

Most people assume that everything has a copyright and can not be used free or with the creator's said permission. However, this reference guide makes it easy on how to find and use content in the public domain.

The book first introduces you to what the public domain is and where the gray areas are of dealing with materials within. The reader will also get a lesson on what copyrights protect and what they don't.

Chapters three through 11 cover specific topics of interest to most people regarding copyright: writings, art, movies, television, and computer software. From chapter 12 on, NOLO outlines various areas of copyright rules and protections a person must know while handling and dealing with information from the public domain. There is also a discussion regarding copyrights versus trademarks.

As a writer, I found this reference guide useful as I think of ideas to write my screenplays.

An exceptional source of information on what one can use, where one can find it and when to use it. As an author, I often ask myself the question of what type of sources I can cite in my work, how much of them I cite and what I may not know that can come to haunt me because of this lack of knowledge. And it is with great pleasure that I can say 'Public Domain' answered these questions. The book is a detailed guide to the types of materials and their copyright protection to make me feel safe one when I include a particular source in my writings.

I found especially interesting the section on the types of public writings I can use, especially whether the work have been properly published and is eligible for copyright protection, or whether the copyright has expired. Of course, the sections on music, art, photography and software are also very helpful with sufficient detail to make anyone aware of how and when to beware of plagiarizing of ideas.

Additionally, the book gives enough information on the international copyrights to satisfy any ambiguity that may exist in your mind. I highly recommend this book to any author, musician, software developer or architect who is search for answers to some of the most important questions of their work - is my idea unique.

There's plenty of useful information on copyright law online, but this book is much more comprehensive and detailed in defining what is and is not in the public doman. It's aimed more at potential users of writings, music and art than at their original creators. However, since the book clarifies copyright law so well, it's actually an excellent reference for musicians, writers and visual artists.

Separate sections cover writings, music, art, photography, movies and tv programs, software, maps, architecture and choreography. There's also a useful section on databases -- an important copyright area for websites that update frequently. Trademarks, design patents and publicity (i.e. the need to get permission before photographing a person) are also covered.

This is not the only book on copyright law that a creative worker will need. For artists, The Legal Guide for Visual Artists, by Ted Crawford, covers contracts and other legal matters as well as copyright. Writers will probably want a reference copy of The Copyright Permission and Libel Handbook, by Lloyd J. Jassin and Steve C. Schecter.

However, this book is a valuable addition. Certainly if you're a collage artist or work in any field that incorporates creative work from other people, you should have this book on hand to consult. It's a reference book, not a book to read from cover to cover.

This book is a good reference, there is some common sense stuff as well as stuff one wouldn't generally know about the public domain. Clearly written for those that aren't lawyers. Not really a quick read, or something you look all the way through, except for the first few chapters. Meant to be used a reference, not a non-fiction read...

Understanding the basic rules of copyright/public domain are what's most important to start with, and that's what the author does in the first few chapters. There are interesting sidebars for those who want "case studies." The world of the Internet has truly changed things significantly -- we all can't realize that everything is a free for all.

As some other reviewers have noted, this book isn't going to tell you where to find a lot of material in the public domain -- but rather how to best identify the works you do find and want to use in your content. And it covers nearly any type of material -- from written word to audio to choreography. International laws are also discussed in brief.

Overall, for those dealing with sourcing non-original content, a very helpful book.

This is a pretty comprehensive guide to the rules of public domain, and what kinds of media are no longer under copyright protection. It doesn't aim to be a listing or catalog of writings or art that are in public domain, but it does a helpful job of pointing the reader in the right direction to find out. As the book says, there are millions of writings, photos, artwork, songs that are free to use by anyone. Lots of examples are provided, but more importantly the reader will be able to figure out if a piece is no longer protected.

It's not a book about how to plagiarize, make no mistake. Many people think that using someone else's work is an artistic no-no. Well, it is when you don't provide credit. The point of the book is not that people should take "Hamlet" and put their name as the writer. Rather the idea is that if you want to write your own adaptation, you are free to do so. Or if you want to quote extensively from it or publish your own version or stage a production of it, you can freely do so.

There are many examples dealt with about the gray areas where copyright may or may not still apply. One such story is about the movie "It's a Wonderful Life", long thought to have been in the public domain but turned out not to have been. Other tricky areas are covered to, such as when dealing with music compositions. While a piece of written music may well be in the public domain, a specific arrangement of it may not be. The book sorts through all these issues, making it a truly valuable reference volume for anyone who is an artist, entertainer, or in some other business that makes use of public domain materials.

The text covers copyright law for a large set of materials: writings, music, art, photography, film and television, computer software, architecture, maps, choreography, compilations, and titles. The book does not provide much help in how to find public domain materials; it only explains how to confirm that a copyright has expired for a particular item.

I own the previous edition of this book, and have found it to be an indispensable resource. Because I often work with copyright and public domain issues, I wanted the most current information available so I ordered the new edition.

According to the Nolo web site, the main changes from the third edition to the fourth are that the content has been "streamlined" and the chapter on international public domain rules was extensively rewritten. The streamlining appears to involve some changes in the formatting and removal of worksheets and illustrations, taking the page count from 540 to 417. Although I have not done a word-for-word comparison, it does not appear that significant information was removed. One change was the deletion of a list of 450 popular songs in the public domain. It is an interesting curiosity, but not all that useful, so its loss does not affect the value of the book.

If you have the third edition, you may find that you do not need to upgrade to this one unless you want the latest and greatest information on international copyright law.

For everyone else: This is the best reference I have found for clear explanations of copyright and public domain. Buy it. I keep my copy nearby because I refer to it often.

Given the proliferation of "web presence" it is important for the aspiring web developer to have a resource to search out public domain web content. Given the unprecedented access to text, music and images we presently enjoy, it is quite easy for the aspiring web developer to get his hands on content on the web. What is more difficult though is knowing whether that content is copyrighted or whether it is in the public domain.

Fishman's "The Public Domain" gives the reader the skinny on content of all types (photos, music, text, art, etc) which includes the length in which the content may be copyrighted under the law (both US and international) and where free content can be found. "The Public Domain" also provides relevant statutes and case law citations. It also provides web sites that serve as clearinghouses for public domain content. Given the price of the book, it is a must have for any website developer.

Copyright is a critical part of my "day job" in a university IT department, and I was very impressed by the treatment of the subject this book. In fact, I was so impressed after the first chapter, I immediately ordered a copy for my office, along with another book from NOLO on a similar topic.

With the advent of digital technology and the DMCA, copyright and Intellectual Property issues have become major hot button topics. This is a field which has become incredibly complex, confusing, and even dangerous, as well as being a primary motivator behind the forced phase-out of analog media.

This book is a godsend to those trying to make sense of the minefield of law changes, legal decisions, and carnivorous corporate bloodsuckers.

There are very clear and comprehensive discussions of virtually all of the critical aspects of copyright, with a focus on getting proper legal permission to use material copyrighted by others.

There is a concise discussion of various legal cases and decisions as they relate to various aspects of copyright and the use of various kinds of copyrighted material.

This is a very helpful book in an extremely difficult field and is a welcome addition to my bookshelf. This is the third NOLO book I have read, and I am very impressed by the quality of the information and the clarity of the writing. NOLO has definitely become a "first stop" for me when I go looking for books on business and legal matters.

If you deal with copyright in any way in your life, this book will be extremely helpful.

If you are a creative type of person, you will most likely eventually need access to some of the information given in this book. My main interest in having it is because I am a musician and often publicly play, record and upload my playing to various internet sites. I do not want to break any copyright laws in doing this so I want to make sure that the sheet music/compositions I use are in the Public Domain, or if not, what I need to do to get permission to use them.

I found this book to be very interesting besides informative. It's not dryly written and kept my interest peeked. I was being educated as I read and had no idea how complicated "copyright" issues can be. I read especially the chapter on Music (chapter 4) since it directly applies to what I do. I admit, I did eventually begin to get confused as to what is in Public Domain and what is not, what is automatically given copyright and what you need to apply for, and several other areas of confusion arose so I will certainly have to re-read it again. However, I feel that all the information I could ever possibly need or want is well-covered in this book and I feel safe relying on it for my particular needs. It does recommend seeking legal advice from a copyright lawyer in certain difficult situations.

As I said, it is a very educational read. I had no idea how badly people abuse copyright status and how flimsy the penalties are if you get caught. This book is loaded with very useful and interesting information covering almost everything one could think of and then some. The reason I did not give it 5 stars is because I was getting rather confused despite my attempt to carefully read the material. However, copyright rules are apparently very confusing so I guess there is no clear and concise way to sort them out. This book is definitely worth the money.

I was looking for a book that would help me find old films that are no longer protected by a copyright. We are talking silent films and old obscure films before the 1950s. I always seem to miss them on the rare times they are shown at my local arthouse theatre or are never shown in the first place. I have purchased a few and usually end up with a poorly conceived burned copy and figured I could do better myself.

Although this book did not give me the exact information I was looking for, it did point me in the right direction! I know how to get legal copies of works that are now available to the public. It also provided lots of information about the dos and don'ts of obtaining works now in the public domain. Chapter 21 gave the most direct help in locating actual works with clear directions on how to make a request directly to the Register of Copyrights (at a fee of $150+) or private firms ($75+). But the most helpful for me was Chapter 7, which dealt with the topic of films and television. It gave me the title of a book that already went through the Copyright Office records and lists ALL of the films available to the public. Although the book is listed as expensive, it will save me time and money if I went through other channels.

This book covers the whole range of works under the copyrights laws and goes into specifics with respect to each one. I will be keeping this book as a handy reference guide.

This book is an incredible source of information for determining the copyright status of all sorts of media. It covers more traditional things like books and films in addition to modern multimedia like databases and computer software.

Often times, determining whether a piece of work is in the public domain isn't as simple as it may seem. For example, something that is in the public domain may contain copyrighted material borrowed from other sources. Fishman clearly explains the different laws and scenarios that may affect the copyright status of each type of media in the book.

This book really seems to cover everything that I would ever need to know about the public domain and copyright laws.

As a collage artist, borrowed images are the tools of my trade, so Chapter 5, "Art," is exceedingly useful for my work. Also "fair use" as described in Chapter 22. Learning these rules is a must, and author and attorney Stephen Fishman makes understanding the complexities of the subject easier than most. I've read many articles on copyright laws, and they are either simplistic and incomplete, or incomprehensible; Fishman strikes a good balance, and "The Public Domain" is a book I'll refer to often, with many passages I've already highlighted, and more I'm sure will be highlighted as I keep reading and absorbing the information. I also appreciate its extensive index, and the first 2 chapters which present an overview of copyright laws.

If your work has any borrowed elements, Fishman's work is an invaluable aid. Save yourself the possibility of a costly lawsuit, and buy this book. It is a clear and concise explanation of some very intricate laws, and worth every penny of its cover price.

As an artist, author, and editor of a thrice yearly arts publication, and spouse of a musician, the issue of copyright infringement is of critical importance to me and The Public Domain is a comprehensive source of pertinent info that I feel could be particularly beneficial to those without reliable computer access. With detailed sections on music, art, photography, movies, architecture, databases, maps, software, and more, and specifications regarding trademarks, there are very few stones left unturned in what can be an explosive - and expensive - arena if not given adequate consideration. In this edition, recent court decisions are included, as are pro and con theoretical arguments that may be applied in specific cases, if one were to be called into question.
I would recommend this book for the shelves of anyone who has occasion to consider using any previously created, printed, published etc, work, portion of a work, idea, image, under any circumstance. I recommend a thorough and complete read through the first time, and then use it as a ready reference for specifics.

Below is a review of The Public Domain by Anthony Fishman.

I recently read the above book and while I found it helpful, I sometimes wondered if I could have obtained the same material by searching the Internet for several hours. On the other hand, the book does provide a template for helping you search for potentially useful public domain material (primarily through internet access), and a set of useful questions which help in the determination of copyright status. The book has 22 chapters covering areas like: The laws governing copyrights (author is an attorney); Public domain sources for the arts, music, writings, photography, movies/TV, computer SW, architecture, maps, choreography, databases, etc; Each chapter has an overview, and discussions on the sub-areas within the subject area. For example in the writing section, you would find sub-sections on fiction, non-fiction, copyright status, recipes, etc. There is focus on the legal aspects of what is considered public domain and what might be protected by copyright laws, which is helpful in our increasingly litigious society. The author asks many relevant questions which would help the person looking for public domain material determine the status of a particular body of work. Each chapter ends with sources of public domain material for the chapter area.

Overall, this book would be useful to a person involved in the creative arts, who wants to optimize their time and leverage public domain material from the past.

The 4th edition of "The Public Domain: How to Find & Use Copyright-Free Writings, Music, Art & More" by Attorney Stephen Fishman is an exceptional guide to this often confusing topic of public domain works that just happen to be free for the taking if you know what to look for and where to look.

Published by Nolo, a publisher that is passionate about making the law accessible to everyone, the book is easy to understand by the layperson, but still had depth that I as an attorney found quite satisfying for a basic text on the issues surrounding public domain works.

The book is logically formatted and contains 22 chapters that take up over 400 pages. Obviously the book starts out with an introduction chapter where Fishman explains what public domain actual is and provides information on the gray areas of public domain works. He then briefly discusses copyright law and the looting of the public domain ins chapter two. I would recommend a person further their study with a text specifically on copyright to enhance their understanding of this topic. After reading this book, I might just check out Fishman's "The Copyright Handbook." He did an excellent job here, so I'd trust his other book would be beneficial as well.

The next chapters are specific to the kind of work you are looking at in the public domain. Fishman starts with writings, maybe the most common work when people think of copyright and public domain. The next chapters discuss Music, Art, Photography, Movies and Television, Computer Software, Architecture, Maps, Choreography, Databases and Collections, and Titles respectively. Each of these chapters contains a wealth of information related to public domain and the type of work addressed in the chapter. Again, all of the information is easily understood and organized in a way to make the book not only easy to read and understand, but fascinating and enjoyable as well. (okay, maybe if you are not an attorney, you won't enjoy reading legal books, but it is fascinating to learn about this topic) Fishman also provides numerous websites and other sources to further your study and to help with your searching and researching regarding public domain works.

In his next chapters, Fishman delves into topics such as Public Domain Elements in Copyrighted Writings, Copyrights Restored From the Public Domain, and The Public Domain Outside the United States. From there he goes into The Internet and Public Domain, how long copyright protection lasts, and copyright notice requirements. All of these chapters contain solid advice.

The final three chapters contain information on traps for the unwary, trademark and publicity rights, advice on researching copyright office records, and what to do if a work in not in the public domain, including a small segment on Fair Use.

I found this to be a unique and excellent guide to find and use public domain, or in other words - copyright-free material with no permission or fees required, works. If you need to find or identify what creative works are protected by copyright and what works are not, this is an excellent place to start. Highly recommended if you want or need to know more about this topic.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks and the dvds: Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, the Lock On Joint Locking Essentials series and articles including a regular column on negotiation for The Montana Lawyer. Alain Also wrote a series of articles called Lessons From The Apprentice.

First off you only have to see that NOLO published the book to know that it's worth having in your collection. Everything that I've bought from them has been great.

With intellectual rights being such a big deal these days, I think it's wise for everyone to be informed. You can get your church in trouble for using copyrighted songs. The "Wedding Song" CD that you hand out at your wedding could cost you thousands in legal fees. Your young son's DJing career might be cut short if you're taken to court for his "sampling". "The Public Domain: How to Find and Use Copyright-Free..." is an invaluable tool to safe you a lot of potential loss of money and gain of grief.

The book covers everything to some degree; art, music, prose, etc. There's information about titles, logos, characters, etc. It's all written in simple to understand language, but with enough details to be useful. The only thing this book doesn't seem to do is hand you the copyright-free materials, but there are enough road maps in here that you'll easily find what you're looking for.

Those looking for quick lists of public domain resources meant for casual perusal and quick consumption will be in for a pleasant surprise. This is not just a guide on where to find public domain materials such as music, photos, and literary works. You will find that information within, but you will find much, much more besides.

Stephen Fishman, an experience attorney in both government and private practice since 1979, provides all of the legal information that many readers might never have known they needed. Fishman goes into great detail about the history of public domain materials, the legalities of usage and ownership regarding such works, the loopholes to look for, and the pitfalls to avoid.

Other books from Nolo have successfully endeavored to communicate legal information to its readers in clear, simple language. The Public Domain achieves this goal as well, and will undoubtedly act as an indispensable reference to anyone seeking out legally obtainable works in the public domain.

Copyright is messy, messy, messy. I know. I was embroiled in a copyright dispute for over a year, winning only when the other side bailed out before summary judgement. The rules for when copyright applies are complicated and depend on numerous factors that have to be weighed. Much of what you might want to do lies in grey areas. An inch to the right, you're OK. An inch to the left and you're in big trouble. And if that wasn't bad enough, every decade or two Congress changes the law, prompting by Disney money or the nagging of librarians. Some aspects of our current law indicate just how clueless Congress has been when its only inputs have been lobbyists, publishers, and librarians.

That's why if you write, edit, publish, or teach using anything that includes material done by others, written or visual, you need a good reference to tell you where the lines are. This book is the best I've seen for covering in an area called "the public domain." Copyright is what the creator (writer, artists or photographer) owns. For a limited time he can dictate who can or cannot publish his work. The public domain is everything else. It includes books published so long ago that copyright no longer applies, material created by the U.S. government that "we the people" own, and works the creator has released into the public domain to get into wider circulation.

I've published a number of books based on material in the public domain, so I checked out what it said on the areas that a lazy writer might skip. I couldn't find anything he has missed. Fair use is there. The concept of that author's "moral rights" which complicates matters in Europe is included. Selective release into the public domain under a Creative Commons license is included. That's not surprising, since this is the fourth edition and it should have all the bugs worked out. It took me five editions to get everything like I like it in my The Lord of the Rings chronology that triggered the lawsuit--Untangling Tolkien.

The only lack I could find is that that he fails to warn readers just how nasty "cease and desist" letters can be. I called the lawyer I first encountered in my dispute a "junk yard dog" for his tendency to snap, snarl and leap out at me as far as his Manhattan-to-Seattle leash would allow. The opposing side was careful to keep him out of sight when our dispute moved into the courts and, with a judge watching, they had to become more civil. But I made sure his snarls and my polite replies became a part of the court record.

Also, if you're excerpting videos from various copyrighted sources and posting them on YouTube, you may not find much help in this book. What's legal and what isn't in that area is so new and uncertain, I'm not sure what the author could say. Those disputes are typically not going to court since the copyright holder is usually satisfied if YouTube simply yanks the video on request. And it's the courts that flesh out the blank spots in copyright law. My dispute existed, in part, because no court has ever ruled on whether a chronology of a complex fictional work is fair use.

Finally, keep in mind that this book is about the public domain aspects of copyright--meaning what is not covered by copyright. To be fully equipped, you also need a book on copyright law.

--Michael W. Perry, Untangling Tolkien: A Chronology and Commentary for The Lord of the Rings

The legal issues of using materials produced by others are especially relevant now because the Internet has made available vast quantities of such material to nearly every one with a computer. But just because that information is available to copy and download doesn't mean it is legal to do so. There are all kinds of legal consequences to those who don't follow the rules. "The Public Domain, Fourth Edition," is intended to describe and explain the rules and to facilitate locating and using material without getting into trouble.

Author, Stephen Fishman, is an attorney and writer of legal and educational books. He explains things on a level suitable for a layman. Like much of the publisher's Nolo materials, the basic idea of the book is to empower readers to avoid lawyers (in most cases) and to handle legal issues of using available resources themselves.

Chapters 1 and 2 introduce the concepts of the public domain and copyright. Matters of copyright notice, duration, coverage, and enforcement are covered thoroughly. The middle 11 chapters focus on specific materials, like writings, music, art, photos, movies and TV, maps, and the like, and clarify how the general rules of public domain and copyright applies to each category. Fishman describes how other non-copyright legal rules may apply to each category of material, like patent, trade name, trade secret, licensing and contract, and other similar laws. A large and important exception to copyright rules, called "fair use" is well explained.

The content of the book is fairly comprehensive. Reference is made to both US and foreign laws. There are sections describing how to search various registries for copyright and other filings. Legal ambiguities or conflicts are duly noted There is a nice chapter on how to secure permission for material not in the public domain.

Most of the book describes and explains the laws of using other's materials. But there is relatively little that focuses on actually finding specific materials. There are some website addresses listings for obtaining free music scores, for example, but for the most part, the book leaves the actual locating of material to the reader's own efforts.

The layout of the book could be improved. There are too many font styles, headings, and text items on a typical page, making the book difficult to read and follow. There are few illustrations and sidebars to break up text segments, and these are in dull grayscale only. There are several useful charts, however, containing data for copyright applicability over various time periods and among different laws.

The biggest problem with the book is the incessant repetition. Facts, opinions, and concepts are repeated across chapters. Even the same examples are repeated, sometimes four or more times. The book, properly edited, could be reduced in size by a factor of two or three and therefore made more readable and accessible.

Woo Hoo! What a find! Writers, Musicians, Artists, Film Makers, and more have a goldmine in "The Public Domain."

As a writer for much of my career, I thought I understood copyright law. I did not. But I've got a better handle on it now. For example, I thought that works published after 1929 could not be in the public domain -- wrong! And I thought that if someone republished a public domain book, that they could copyright that book and take it out of the public domain. Wrong again!

In fact, just about everything I though I knew about copyright law was wrong.

I knew I didn't understand much about Fair Use. As it turns out, that's in part because the concept is vague and loose. But now I've got a better grasp on how and when to use it, and how I could get into trouble misusing it.

In addition to clear explanations about copyrights and their uses, this useful book has literally thousands of resources where you can find public domain books, articles, photos, films - in fact, just about anything you have in mind.

There's so much help in this book for people who create all sorts of original works, that it is easily my favorite book of the year. It's just that good.

Thanks, author Stephen Fishman, for straightening me out. Thanks for all the resources I'd never have found on my own. And thanks for producing such a helpful volume. It's a treasure!

If a person plans to offer content created by others on the internet, a photograph for instance, a favorite poem, art work, then it is very important to understand the legal limits of the Public Domain.

Items that are in the Public Domain, i.e., that can be used freely by anyone for any purpose get there by a couple of paths. One of for the copyright to have expired. It used to be fairly easy to tell when an item was going to be available in the public domain. Then, in what was widely felt to be an effort to protect Micky Mouse's early images-- copyright was about to expire on it, the U S congress expanded the period of coverage.

Anyway, this book from Nolo does a very good job of providing information about the basics of the Public Domain. Nolo has a long and respectable history with providing legal information and a spot check didn't reveal any errors.

As someone involved in both writing and theatre, I often look to the public domain for inspiration. The public domain is basically a list of old published material--books, plays, photography, music--that is no longer under copyright. If you wanted to write a screenplay based on a book in the public domain, you could do it... for free!

This is an extremely helpful resource for anyone interested in learning about the public domain. It's all the information you ever needed to know--including what legal issues could arise from using public domain materials. The book is written in plain English, so anyone can understand the legal jargon.

The book explains the rules of the public domain, and explains how to determine whether a work is in the public domain or not. I was a bit disappointed; however, that there wasn't a more consummate list of materials in the public domain. I've been thinking about writing a screenplay... and this book "suggests" a few classic works for adaptations. However, the ones they recommended have already been recently adapted. I realize the list of works in the public domain must be HUGE, but it would have been nice if they would have compiled a list of more than 20 or 30 classic novels.

There is, however, very specific information on all aspects of the public domain. After reading this book, you'll (fairly) easily be able to determine what is protected by copyright and what is not.

NOLO continues to turn out books which make laws and legalities clear for those of us who either can't afford to hire lawyers or would simply rather save the hundreds or thousands of dollars and do it ourselves.

"The Public Domain" (How to Find & Use Copyright-Free Writings, Music, Art & More) is indispensible in our new "cut-and-paste" age of creativity. Mix-ups, Mash-ups, Youtube videos, "sampling" for music - it's all included here, in relatively easy-to-read form (it is still, after all, a law book).

For me, this book has actually already proved valuable in that it flat out contradicted information I'd gotten from a highly paid attorney. I double and triple checked: NOLO was entirely right, and the lawyer entirely wrong.

While an Index isn't a glamorous feature, Nolo's "Public Domain" has a large and detailed one, making it easy to track down the information you most need at any given time.

For the price, this should be on the shelf of every media/creative person.

This is a great reference book. It's a very user friendly book on what I've found to be a very confusing subject.

I got the book hoping to gain insight on covering one's self when posting personal art works on websites for display purposes in various shows.

It seems to be the wild west out there with people taking whatever they can find to use for whatever they want and this guide is very helpful.

Like most things legal, Public Domain is a simple concept compromised by a million complications. Among those are copyright law itself, foreign law, case law in specific areas (e.g., the internet), licensing, variations in how copyright and public domain are interpreted for collections, references, and derivative works, how reproductions are treated, notification and disclosures, types of usage, and scores of others.

In other words, if you were looking for a checklist approach to find and use public domain works, this isn't it and one doesn't exist. The bad news is there's just no escape from the need to understand something about copyright law. The good news is that this book packs a lot of surprisingly readable advice on all the above, and more, into a single reasonably-sized volume of 420 pages. There is not only enough to keep you from trouble with a variety of works types (there are chapters for writing, photos, music, etc.), there is a "Traps for the Unwary" chapter near the end that mops up trademark and publicity-related considerations. The book ends, usefully, with a chapter on copyright office research.

All in all, a very worthwhile book, very much on point throughout, and clearly written for the layman, though the author is an attorney. That meets Nolo Press' aims, and this volume meets my needs.

WOW!
This new edition from NOLO has me scanning and rescanning information, and it has already yielded me a public domain volume that I'd been praying for. Rather than hit me with restrictions, it has opened up many more opportunities for creativity.

Short pieces of legal information plus a complete laundry list of everything and more pertaining to free artwork and created STUFF. Written by lawyers who have this so, so down!

Arm thyself with the right weapons! A very wise investment and totally exceeds my expectations!

This is not a read first to last page book, it's a reference book. You can read it straight if you like but I think it's main purpose is to answer questions which it does very well.

First it explains what copyrights are. How long they last according to what the nature of the work is. Copyrights vary by country which I didn't realize something could be public domain in one country and not in another.

What is so exciting about this book is the wealth of FREE Public Domain materials it brings to your attention. There are many websites given to get these items. The work has all been done for you. No longer will you have a question if something is Public or you need permission to use it.

All movies and films made by the U.S.Government are Public Domain unless an outside hired company made it for them. I did not know this.They may be classified in other forms but still belong to the public. There is a HUGE amount of educational material all usable for FREE.

I spent the afternoon reading many chapters of the book and now feel very much more informed as to what is "fair use" and what is not. So we can tape our favorite show and watch it when we get home from work but it has to stop there.

I've seen websites I thought were questionable selling whole seasons of TV series that are not even released on DVD's yet claiming it was Public Domain. WRONG. It is not. Stick with Amazon and avoid these no name sites. I'm sure they are here one day and gone the next as it's going to be 75-95 years until our current favorites are Public Domain and that is if it doesn't get renewed.

There is a great site they are getting all pre 1923 books on ebook form. Almost everything pre 1923 is public domain. You can download the book and listen on your computer or MP3 for FREE. I got a book there and enjoying it very much. They are also looking for readers to help in this huge project. You can put it on Cd and take it in the car...all legal all free!!

Grandma always said there is no free lunch but there is Public Domain and there are some really great things out there to be had. Get the book and get the websites...it's great fun and very educational. A must for church and school libraries alike.

If you're any kind of artist -- from songwriter to website builder -- you need this book. As with all of Nolo's publications, it's packed with information, well laid-out, and easy to use.

Chapters include the Introduction, Use and Abuse of Copyright, Free Writings, Music, Art, Photography, Movies and Television, Computer Software, Architecture, Maps, Choreography, Databases and Collections, Titles, Public Domain Elements and Copyrighted Writings, Copyrights Restored From the Public Domain, The Public Domain Outside the United States, The Internet and the Public Domain, Copyright Protection: How Long Does It Last, Copyright Notice Requirements, Traps For the Unwary: Trademark and Publicity Rights, Researching Copyright Office Records, and What If A Work Is Not In The Public Domain.

It's not as daunting a book as it sounds. The sub-chapters and index make it quick and easy to use. Simply a must-have for everybody's bookshelf.

Anyone who has every edited a website that needed some content or an anthology that needed just one more essay has been tempted to "fill things out" using the vast quantity of information in the public domain. The problem is that it is not always quite clear what is in the public domain and under what circumstances sections of other material can be used.

Stephen Fishman has provided a quick and easy guide to the legaities of the public domain world. He gives a very user-friendly introduction to copyright laws, the difference between domestic and foreign copyright legal traditions, the circumstances where product in the pubilc domain in the US was removed because of treaties with foreign countries, and the concept of "fair use" of copyrighted material.

This is not a list of "free stuff" and those expecting that will be disappointed. Similarly, those wishing to get by on a "technicality" while sponging off someone else's creativity will learn no new "tricks". This book is, however, extremely useful for those who seek to use classic material and not violate existing laws. It gives principles whereby those who wish to obey the laws as they exist can safely assume they are within their rights to publish certain material.

Moreover, this gives those interested in a certain area the ability to make important texts of that genre available through the web and by other means to similarly interested parties. One can go on the web now and find classic works of philosophy, religion, science, and literature free - often obscure titles that may only be of interest to specialist with reprints often expensive and hard to find.

Whatever your purpose, "The Public Domain How to Find and Use Copyright Free Writings, Music, Art & More" is well worth the price of a reference to ensure you remain one of the good guys.

I've wanted to know more about Copyright for a while now. I got this book because I thought the title was interesting. It was from the perspective of someone trying to find and "exploit" content in the public domain. I don't recall the book using the word exploit but it basically is about that at certain points. It's good because I want to protect some digital content I create and sell online and this book has helped me become away of any vulnerabilities of that content because of the perspective of the book. Also the NOLO books are a series of books that basically help put crazy legal speak and complex laws in easier to understand words.

I have not finished reading the entire book as once you get past the first few chapters it is organized so that you simply go to a chapter that contains info about the certain type of content you are interested in. I have been very happy and educated with what I have read thus far! If you are interested in finding out how to protect your own content, and how you might be allowed to create new content based off existing content in a legal manner, this is the book for you!

Have you ever tried to find great illustrations, music, etc. for a creative project, only to find yourself stymied by copyright restrictions? If so then you need this book. It's full of sources for public domain material that will jazz up newsletters, magazines and online content. Highly recommended.

I've read other Nolo Press books, including "Getting Permission", "Copyright Your Software", "Copyright", "Trademark" and others in their intellectual property books, and I had concerns whether this book would be mostly duplicate information. Fortunately, it's not.

This book supplements "Getting Permission", which gives the general ideas behind copyright practices and provides legal forms for attain copyright use permission. There is some necessary crossover between "Public Domain" and "Getting Permission". "The Public Domain" gives more details on specific sources and provides information on other types of copyright coverage--for example, choreography, databases, and architecture.

Also, this book discusses how and where to find some copyright-free material.

If one can go through these two books, I guess one can figure out self-help copyright law effectively here.