The Public Domain: How to Find & Use Copyright-free Writings, Music, Art & More [Paperback]

Stephen Fishman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2006

Need content? It's free for the taking!

Even though for years teachers have told us 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 3rd edition is completely updated and revised, and includes information about the latest court decisions and the emergence of the "copyright commons." The book also provides hundreds of resources to help you find public-domain works.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A superb offering showing how to avoid lawsuits by getting one's handson thousands of public domain songs, movies and manuscripts." -- James Coates, Chicago Tribune

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

"The constitutional guarantee of a public domain was one of the Framers' most important gifts to our cultural tradition. -- Laurence Lessig, author, Code & Other Laws of Cyberspace

About the Author

Stephen Fishman is the author of many Nolo books, most recently Tax Deductions for Professionals. Other titles include Deduct It! Lower Your Small Business Taxes, Every Landlord's Tax Deduction Guide and Home Business Tax Deductions: Keep What You Earn plus many other legal and business books. He received his law degree from the University of Southern California in 1979. After time in government and private practice, he became a full-time legal writer in 1983.

Product Details

• Paperback: 538 pages
• Publisher: NOLO; 3 edition (May 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1413304540
• ISBN-13: 978-1413304541
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,317,700 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stephen Fishman is the author of many Nolo books, including Tax Deductions for Professionals. Other titles include Deduct It! Lower Your Small Business Taxes, Every Landlord's Tax Deduction Guide and Home Business Tax Deductions: Keep What You Earn--plus many other legal and business books. He received his law degree from the University of Southern California in 1979. After time in government and private practice, he became a full-time legal writer in 1983.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 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 "Conned-sumer" (SAUSALITO, US, Canada) - 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.

38 of 41 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
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 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.

21 of 22 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!