Copyright for Music: Public Domain

A brief overview of public domain.

Resources, readings, and debates related to public domain. Includes the annual Public Domain Day. See their FAQ for more info.

An introduction to what the public domain is and how to determine if a work is in the public domain.

In-depth chart explaining the duration of a copyright term based on type of work, publication status, location of publication, and year of publication.

The copyright status of a work can be determined using the Catalog of Copyright Entries to find when/if the work was registered or renewed. Online records from 1978-present Online records from 1891-1978 Print catalogs are in library storage—ask for them at the circulation desk. Using them can be difficult, so feel free to ask a librarian for assistance.

Asks a series of questions about a work to help you determine whether or not it is public domain.

Searchable index of copyright renewal records for books published in the US, 1923-1963. Includes only renewals, not original registrations, and only Class A (book) renewals received by the US Copyright Office 1950-1992.
(Works published after January 1, 1964 had their copyrights automatically renewed by statute, and works published before 1923 have generally fallen into the public domain. Renewals received by the federal Copyright Office after 1977 are searchable in their online database, but renewals received 1950-1977 were distributed only in print. The Copyright Renewal Database brings those records together in a searchable format.)

Information and resources for identifying music in the public domain. Includes an alphabetical list of songs in the public domain.

Audio, image, and video materials that is available under Creative Commons licenses or in the public domain. (Site created by James Madison University, so one or two links may only be available to JMU users.)