The public domain refers to the legal status of a work, invention, or creation when the exclusive intellectual property rights, such as copyrights or patents, have expired or the creator or owner has waived them. Once in the public domain, the work or invention can be used freely by anyone without the permission of the original rights holder. This allows culture and knowledge to circulate more freely, promoting innovation and the creation of new derivative works.
Works generally fall into the public domain for several reasons: the expiration of copyright, which often occurs 70 years after the author‘s death in many countries; the non-renewal of copyright; or because the work was never eligible for copyright protection (such as ideas, methods of operation, or facts).
The same applies to patents, trademarks, and designs.
The public domain is a collection of resources that allows artists, educators, researchers, and the general public to freely and legally access historically and culturally significant works, opening up opportunities for exploration, learning, and creation without the usual constraints of copyright.