Public Domain, The: How to Find and Use Copyright Free Writings, Music, Art & More (Paperback)

~ Stephen Fishman J.D. (Author)
Key Phrases: unprotected elements, copyright claimant, public domain gray areas, United States, Copyright Office, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A superb offering showing how to avoid lawsuits by getting one's hands on thousands of public domain songs, movies and manuscripts that can be used on websites or anywhere else free of charge." -- James Coates, Chicago Tribune

"How do you tell the difference between what's copyrighted and what isn't? A good starting point is Stephen Fishman's The Public Domain." -- Associated Press

"The constitutional guarantee of 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." -- Laurence Lessig, author,Code & Other Laws of Cyberspace

Product Description

Need content? It's free for the taking!

Even though you've always been told otherwise, writers and artists can copy other people's work and get away with it. How? By dipping into the public domain, where everything is free for the taking.

The Public Domain is the only book that helps you find and identify what creative works are protected by copyright- and what's not. The book provides specific information about:

writings

music

art

photography

architecture

maps

choreography

movies and video

software

databases

collections

The 4th edition is crisper, fresher and completely updated with new case law, and includes information on the emergence of the "copyright commons." The book also provides hundreds of resources to help you find public-domain works.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: NOLO; 4 edition (June 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1413308589
• ISBN-13: 978-1413308587
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #87,828 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #15 in	Books > Nonfiction > Law > Intellectual Property > Patent, Trademark & Copyright
  #22 in	Books > Professional & Technical > Law > Intellectual Property
  #36 in	Books > Reference > Education > Research

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most useful books I have ever encountered, September 29, 2002

By	Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Public Domain: How to Find and Use Copyright-Free Writings, Music, Art & More (Paperback)

This fat and informative book is a goldmine for anyone interested in public domain works, whether writings, music, art, films or just about anything else. The author, Attorney Stephen Fishman, begins with an examination of copyright laws and the public domain. After that, the book begins each of the chapters on copyrightable materials with a handy checklist for use in determining public domain status, and then launches into a discussion of how to determine the public domain status of such an item. After those useful chapters, the author examines the use of copyrighted and public domain works.

This is one of the most useful books I have ever encountered. It contains most everything you need to know in determining the public domain status of a work, and it is organized in a simple, easy-to-use format (ala the ___ for Dummies books), that is sure to inform the reader, and never lose him or her. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in whether or not something is in the public domain, and thus open to free use.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first and last word in finding free art and music, April 20, 2001

By	Richard Stim "Conned-sumer" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Public Domain: How to Find and Use Copyright-Free Writings, Music, Art & More (Paperback)

Highly recommended! I'm an artist and musician and I've been waiting for a book like this for years. It's like a road map that lets you figure out what stuff you can use without permission (and without having to ask a lawyer if its okay). And there is a lot of free art out there ... not just old stuff but U.S. government art, etc. It's a very sharp, well-written book with lots of interesting trivia, too.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great NOLO publication!, August 9, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Public Domain: How to Find and Use Copyright-Free Writings, Music, Art & More (Paperback)

NOLO writes legal books for the rest of us. I've used other NOLO books and gave this one a shot. I found this book to be a wonderful guide to the whole subject of public domain, from where to find it to how to use it effectively. It was also a great introduction to the history of public domain and its significance in the legal landscape of intellectual property. it's a great resourse for anyone that needs creative content for free!