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

This is a pretty comprehensive guide to the rules of public domain, and what kinds of media are no longer under copyright protection. It doesn't aim to be a listing or catalog of writings or art that are in public domain, but it does a helpful job of pointing the reader in the right direction to find out. As the book says, there are millions of writings, photos, artwork, songs that are free to use by anyone. Lots of examples are provided, but more importantly the reader will be able to figure out if a piece is no longer protected. <br /> <br />It's not a book about how to plagiarize, make no mistake. Many people think that using someone else's work is an artistic no-no. Well, it is when you don't provide credit. The point of the book is not that people should take "Hamlet" and put their name as the writer. Rather the idea is that if you want to write your own adaptation, you are free to do so. Or if you want to quote extensively from it or publish your own version or stage a production of it, you can freely do so. <br /> <br />There are many examples dealt with about the gray areas where copyright may or may not still apply. One such story is about the movie "It's a Wonderful Life", long thought to have been in the public domain but turned out not to have been. Other tricky areas are covered to, such as when dealing with music compositions. While a piece of written music may well be in the public domain, a specific arrangement of it may not be. The book sorts through all these issues, making it a truly valuable reference volume for anyone who is an artist, entertainer, or in some other business that makes use of public domain materials.

This book is a good reference, there is some common sense stuff as well as stuff one wouldn't generally know about the public domain. Clearly written for those that aren't lawyers. Not really a quick read, or something you look all the way through, except for the first few chapters. Meant to be used a reference, not a non-fiction read... <br /> <br />Understanding the basic rules of copyright/public domain are what's most important to start with, and that's what the author does in the first few chapters. There are interesting sidebars for those who want "case studies." The world of the Internet has truly changed things significantly -- we all can't realize that everything is a free for all. <br /> <br />As some other reviewers have noted, this book isn't going to tell you where to find a lot of material in the public domain -- but rather how to best identify the works you do find and want to use in your content. And it covers nearly any type of material -- from written word to audio to choreography. International laws are also discussed in brief. <br /> <br />Overall, for those dealing with sourcing non-original content, a very helpful book.

I own the previous edition of this book, and have found it to be an indispensable resource. Because I often work with copyright and public domain issues, I wanted the most current information available so I ordered the new edition. <br /> <br />According to the Nolo web site, the main changes from the third edition to the fourth are that the content has been "streamlined" and the chapter on international public domain rules was extensively rewritten. The streamlining appears to involve some changes in the formatting and removal of worksheets and illustrations, taking the page count from 540 to 417. Although I have not done a word-for-word comparison, it does not appear that significant information was removed. One change was the deletion of a list of 450 popular songs in the public domain. It is an interesting curiosity, but not all that useful, so its loss does not affect the value of the book. <br /> <br />If you have the third edition, you may find that you do not need to upgrade to this one unless you want the latest and greatest information on international copyright law. <br /> <br />For everyone else: This is the best reference I have found for clear explanations of copyright and public domain. Buy it. I keep my copy nearby because I refer to it often.

Given the proliferation of "web presence" it is important for the aspiring web developer to have a resource to search out public domain web content. Given the unprecedented access to text, music and images we presently enjoy, it is quite easy for the aspiring web developer to get his hands on content on the web. What is more difficult though is knowing whether that content is copyrighted or whether it is in the public domain. <br /> <br />Fishman's "The Public Domain" gives the reader the skinny on content of all types (photos, music, text, art, etc) which includes the length in which the content may be copyrighted under the law (both US and international) and where free content can be found. "The Public Domain" also provides relevant statutes and case law citations. It also provides web sites that serve as clearinghouses for public domain content. Given the price of the book, it is a must have for any website developer.