Wiki Page, GOTT Clover II: Use Responsibly (5 of 6): Public Domain

Wiki Page
2016-08-14T21:35:23-06:00

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Uncopyrighted works are considered to be in the public domain and can be fully used by anyone without permission.

The question is, which kinds of intellectual property are uncopyrighted? In the US, this list includes the following:

Works for which copyright has expired

Common idioms of the English language (though these may be protected by trademark law)

Facts, theories, and ideas (though the tangible expressions of these could be copyrighted)

US government works, including laws, speeches made by federal employees, and publications

Again, even though you may have permission to use information in the public domain without asking for permission to do so, you must always attribute other authors whose works you use to support your own.