# public domain

> no exclusive intellectual property rights apply

**Wikidata**: [Q19652](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19652)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/public-domain

## Summary
Public domain is a legal status meaning no exclusive intellectual property rights apply to a work or subject. It is a copyright status and legal concept that stands opposite "copyrighted" and is treated as a subclass of a public good.

## Key Facts
- Public domain is described in Wikidata as "no exclusive intellectual property rights apply."  
- Instance types: copyright status, legal term or legal concept, and law.  
- Opposite of: copyrighted.  
- Subclass of: public good.  
- Common short names / aliases: PD; 🅮; out of copyright; DP; propiedad pública; demanio; dominio publico; Gemeinfrei.  
- Common symbols / icons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/PD-icon-black.svg and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Cc-pd.svg (associated with Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal).  
- Representative image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Public_Domain_Mark_button.svg (Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal).  
- Related list resource: list of films in the public domain in the United States.  
- Authoritative/descriptive sources and identifiers include Dictionnaire des biens communs (Séverine Dusollier), UNESCO thesaurus id concept1153, AAT id 300055611, Library of Congress authority id sh85108633, and Freebase id /m/05smz.  
- Wikidata/links: wikipedia title "Public domain", sitelink_count 107, hashtag PublicDomain.

## FAQs
### Q: What does "public domain" mean?
A: Public domain means a work or subject is not subject to exclusive intellectual property rights. It is a legal/copyright status indicating no exclusive copyright or similar rights apply.

### Q: Is public domain the same as "copyright-free"?
A: Public domain is the legal opposite of "copyrighted" and is classified as a copyright status. It is treated as a public good and denotes lack of exclusive IP rights rather than a specific license.

### Q: How is public domain indicated or marked?
A: Public domain works are commonly marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal symbols, including icons at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/PD-icon-black.svg and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Cc-pd.svg, and an associated button image at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Public_Domain_Mark_button.svg.

## Why It Matters
Public domain matters because it identifies works and subjects that are not restricted by exclusive intellectual property claims, enabling broader access, reuse, and sharing. As a legal status and copyright concept, it distinguishes materials that fall outside copyright protection from those that remain copyrighted. This distinction affects cultural heritage, education, scholarship, and reuse in media and software by clarifying when exclusive permissions are not required. Institutions and vocabularies recognize and index the status (for example UNESCO concept1153, AAT id 300055611, and Library of Congress authority sh85108633). Public domain is also treated as a public good in classification systems, which frames it as part of shared cultural and informational resources. Practical uses of the public domain include curated lists (for example, lists of films in the public domain in the United States) and standard marking conventions such as the Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal icons, which help users and platforms identify and manage works without exclusive IP rights.

## Notable For
- Being explicitly defined as a copyright status and a legal term that is the opposite of "copyrighted."  
- Standardized markings and icons (Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal) and a recognized emoji/symbol (🅮).  
- Broad bibliographic and thesaurus recognition (Library of Congress, UNESCO thesaurus, AAT).  
- Large coverage and linkage across projects (wikipedia title "Public domain", sitelink_count 107, and topic templates such as Template:PD).  
- Presence in curated resource lists, such as "list of films in the public domain in the United States."

## Body

### Definition
- Public domain is a status meaning no exclusive intellectual property rights apply.  
- It is defined as a copyright status and a legal concept.  
- It is described in reference sources such as Dictionnaire des biens communs (author Séverine Dusollier).

### Legal classification and relationships
- Instance of: copyright status; legal term/legal concept; law.  
- Opposite of: copyrighted.  
- Subclass of: public good.  
- Listed as a topic in multiple authority and thesaurus systems: UNESCO thesaurus id concept1153; AAT id 300055611; Library of Congress authority id sh85108633.

### Symbols, icons, and marks
- Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal icons associated with public domain:  
  - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/PD-icon-black.svg (qualifier: statement_is_subject_of Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal).  
  - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Cc-pd.svg (qualifier: statement_is_subject_of Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal).  
- Representative image/button: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Public_Domain_Mark_button.svg (qualifier: P180 Public Domain Mark 1.0 Universal).  
- Short names: "PD" (abbreviation) and the symbol "🅮" (associated with the Public Domain Mark and referenced in a Creative Commons notice about Unicode inclusion of CC symbols).

### Identifiers and metadata
- Fast ID: 1082223.  
- Freebase id: /m/05smz (reference publication date 2013-10-28).  
- Library of Congress authority id: sh85108633 (qualifiers include national domain and state domain; reference with identifier 987007546172205171).  
- Wikidata/wikipedia references: wikipedia_title "Public domain"; sitelink_count 107.  
- Other IDs and entries: encyclopædia_universalis_id "domaine-public"; various wikimedia and fandom cross-links.

### Usage and resources
- Associated resources include "list of films in the public domain in the United States."  
- Topic templates and community projects: Template:PD; on-focus lists include WikiProject Open access and Open Culture / GLAM Glossary.  
- Model items related by subclassing or example: public domain music; ineligible for copyright protection (these are modeled relations in the structured data).

### Aliases and multilingual labels
- Aliases: PD; out of copyright; DP; 🅮; public domain; propiedad pública; demanio; dominio publico; propiedad publica; Gemeinfrei.  
- Language coverage: listed across many Wikipedia language editions and thesauri (examples provided in structured data).

### Related items
- The structured data provides links to various related resources and entities including cultural and institutional pages, lists, and media databases that reference or catalogue public-domain materials.

## References

1. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. [Source](https://xn--abkrzung-85a.info/Abk%C3%BCrzungen-von-public+domain.html)
4. [The Unicode Standard Now Includes CC License Symbols](https://creativecommons.org/2020/03/18/the-unicode-standard-now-includes-cc-license-symbols/)
5. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)