File:Copyright.svg

Public Domain

This file has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright.
Jurisdiction: World
How it has entered public domain: This image is ineligible for copyright and therefore in the public domain, because it consists entirely of information that is common property and contains no original authorship.

The public domain is a range of abstract materials – commonly referred to as intellectual property – which are not owned or controlled by anyone. The term indicates that these materials are therefore "public property", and available for anyone to use for any purpose. The laws of various countries define the scope of the public domain differently, making it necessary to specify which jurisdiction's public domain is being discussed. Furthermore, the public domain can be defined in contrast to several forms of intellectual property; the public domain in contrast to copyrighted works is different from the public domain in contrast to trademarks or patented works.