What is considered public domain? Are items that are posted to free Internet sites considered public domain?

• The public domain comprises work that is either no longer protected by copyright or never was. The likelihood that materials of greatest interest are in the public domain is low.

• Generic information, such as facts, numbers and ideas fall into the public domain.

• A work is in public domain if (1) all authors are employed by United States government and prepared work as part of employment, or (2) work is published before 1978 without a copyright notice, or (3) copyright term of work has expired.

• Authors should assume that they need to obtain permission if material does not specifically carry a notice saying materials may be reused free of charge and/or no copyright permission is required.

• The legal concept of the public domain as it applies to copyright law should not be confused with the fact that a work may be publicly available, such as information found in books or periodicals, or on the Internet.