The 75-year copyrights issued before 1923 have expired, passing those works into the public domain where they may be used without permission or payment of royalties. Additional works will not enter the public domain until 2019. A number of resources are available to help you determine what is available available in the public domain and how to access it.
Instructions
- 1
Refer to legal resources for an in-depth explanation of copyright protection or consult an attorney. Check out the chart by the University of North Carolina for a comprehensive, easy-to-understand overview of how U.S. works pass into the public domain. (See Resources)
2Subscribe to a service that tracks materials that are in or about to enter the public domain. Expect to pay an annual fee. Take an online course on accessing public domain resources.
3Visit PDInfo for information about songs and music in the public domain as well as copyright information.
4Research public domain music, sheet music and royalty free CDs and DVDS and download royalty-free music. Search for songs, hymns and sheet music by title or lyrics.
5Check out Springfield Township High School Virtual Library website's extensive list of copyright friendly material available in the public domain.
6Choose from music and sound, art and photographic images, text and video. Remember to cite the source of any public domain material.
7Browse index resource categories such as literature, technical works, software, government works, art, images and audio. Scroll to the end of the page for a helpful list of copyright and intellectual property resources.
