University Libraries: Copyright: Creative Commons and Public Domain

Creative Commons

The Creative Commons is a global nonprofit organization that enables sharing and reuse of creativity and knowledge, most notably by providing copyright licenses to authors who want to freely share their work. Authors can share their work by selecting a Creative Commons license. Users can search for Creative Commons texts, images, music and videos at CC Search.

Public Domain

Works that are not protected by copyright are in the public domain. This may occur either because a work does not meet the requirements for copyright (e.g. fixation and originality) or because its copyright has expired.

The Copyright Genie
The Copyright Genie, created by the American Library Association, can help you find out if a work is covered by U.S. copyright or in the public domain.
Copyright Renewals
Stanford's Copyright Renewal Database is a searchable index of the copyright renewal records for books published in the US between 1923 and 1963.
Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States
This website allows users to determine if a specific work is in the public domain, based on date and place of publication.
Digital Slider
Find out if a work is protected by copyright by selecting a date range and reading information in the related windows.