The Public Domain: How to Find & Use Copyright-Free Writings, Music, Art & More

Product Description

Find free content and save on permission fees
Millions of creative works―books, artwork, photos, songs, movies, and more―are available copyright-free in the public domain. Whether your tastes run to Beethoven or Irving Berlin, Edvard Munch or Claude Monet, you’ll find inspiration in The Public Domain.
The only book that helps you find and identify which creative works are protected by copyright and which are not, The Public Domain covers the rules for:

writings
music
art
photography
architecture
maps
choreography
movies
video
software
databases
collections

For the first time in decades, new works began to enter the public domain in 2019, and more are entering each year. The 9th edition is completely updated to include new public domain resources and to cover the latest legal changes to copyright protection of songs, books, photos, and other creative works, as well as public domain rules outside the U.S.

Review

“A public domain was one of the Framers’ most important gifts to our cultural tradition. This extraordinary book makes real the value of that gift in the 21st century.”
Lawrence W. Lessig, Stanford Law Professor & Author of Code & Other Laws of Cyberspace
“A unique guide to finding and using copyright-free material with no permission or fees necessary.” Outstanding Academic Title Award by CHOICE
“A superb offering…” Chicago Tribune
“How do you tell the difference between what’s copyrighted and what isn’t? A good starting point is … The Public Domain.” Associated Press
“This is absolutely the first book on the Public Domain — and it is WONDERFUL!!” Public Domain Information Project www.pdinfo.com

About the Author

Stephen Fishman has dedicated his career as an attorney and author to writing useful, authoritative, and recognized guides on business, taxation, and intellectual property matters for small businesses, entrepreneurs, independent contractors, and freelancers. He is the author of 20 books and hundreds of articles, and has been quoted in
The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, and many other publications. Among his books are
Every Landlord’s Tax Deduction Guide, Deduct It! Lower Your Small Business Taxes, and
Working for Yourself: Law & Taxes for Independent Contractors, Freelancers & Gig Workers of All Types, published by Nolo. He is a two-time recipient of the Independent Book Publishers Association’s Benjamin Franklin Award.