Description:
Find free content and save on permission fees
Millions of creative works are available copyright-free in the public domain. Every year, more classic works enter the public domain as their copyrights expire. In 2026 alone, the book The Maltese Falcon, the character Betty Boop, the Marx Brothers movie Animal Crackers, and the song Georgia on My Mind entered the public domain.
The Public Domain helps you identify works that are not covered by copyright and explains how you can copy and adapt those works in your projects. It covers the rules for:
- written works
- music
- art
- photography
- video
- and more.
The 11th edition is completely updated to include new public domain resources and the latest legal changes to copyright protection, including for AI-generated works.
Brief description:
Glen Secor is a Legal Editor at Nolo. Before joining Nolo, Glen was a business and intellectual property attorney in corporations and in private practice. He is the author of Trademark: Legal Care for Your Brand, Nolo's LLC Handbook and Tax Savvy for Small Business.
Review Quotes: "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