Research Guides: Copyright: Public Domain

Public Domain Updates

Join the UT Libraries for our first public domain workshop!

Public Domain 101 For Students

“Create your own button and learn all about the public domain with our Public Domain 101 Workshop For Students! From videos, to images, to music, and more, content in the public domain is freely available for us to enjoy. Following our introductory presentation in the Hodges Library Mary Greer Room, students will learn how to make a free button using public domain art in the library's Makerspace!”

Date: March 13th, 2025
Time: 1pm-2:30pm
Location: Hodges Library, Mary Greer Room (258); Makerspace
Event link
Registration link

Public Domain

What About Content in the Public Domain?

Content in the public domain is not protected by copyright and is free to use by anyone without needing to obtain permissions. Content can enter the public domain by having its copyright expire, if copyright law does not protect the specific type of content, or if the copyright owner dedicates it to the public domain. Entire collections of public domain content may be subject to restrictions, but individual public domain content can be downloaded and re-used by anyone.

To determine if a particular work might be in the public domain use the chart, Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States, created for the Cornell Copyright Information Center by Peter B. Hirtle.

In the Public Domain

Works whose copyright protection has expired such as those published before January 1, 1929
Works produced by the federal government
Works published between January 1, 1929 and 1977 without a copyright notice
Works whose authors choose to place their work in the public domain (See Creative Commons licensing options)

Possible Public Domain

Research reports and other work funded by federal government agencies that appear in commercial publications or databases
Works published between January 1, 1929 and 1977 that did not have their copyrights renewed

Protected by Copyright