Public domains refer to work not covered by copyright anymore. Public domains as related to literary, artistic, broadcasting, and musical products are works for which the copyright may have expired or for which no intellectual property rights exist or the copyrights have been forfeited. Some famous examples of public domains are that of Shakespeare works [...]
Copyfraud refers to the practice of lodging a false claim on copyright to commercially benefit and gain control over the work or works which do not legally belong to a person or entity. Jason Mazzone has introduced the term to copyright theory. At the time of coining the term he was Associate Professor of Law [...]
As the author of an original work, you have the exclusive right to that work for a certain time period. These rights extend to factors such as its publication, distribution and adaptation, and is a form of intellectual property known as copyright. Depending on the territory as well as the nature of the work, the [...]
Because trademarks are registered with governments, some countries or trademark registries may recognize a mark, while others may have determined that it is generic and not allowable as a trademark in that registry. For example, the drug “acetylsalicylic acid” (2-acetoxybenzoic acid) is better known as aspirin in the United States—a generic term. In Canada, however, [...]
If guarded properly, trade secrets are forever. A business may keep the formula to Coca-Cola a secret. However, once it is disclosed to the public, the former secret enters public domain, although an invention using the former secret may still be patentable if it is not barred by statute. Some businesses choose to protect products, [...]
The public domain can also be defined in contrast to trademarks. Names, logos, and other identifying marks used in commerce can be restricted as proprietary trademarks for a single business to use. Trademarks can be maintained indefinitely, but they can also lapse through disuse, negligence, or widespread misuse, and enter the public domain. It is [...]
The public domain is most often discussed in contrast to works whose use is restricted by copyright. Under modern law, most original works of art, literature, music, etc. are covered by copyright from the time of their creation for a limited period of time (which varies by country). When the copyright expires, the work enters [...]
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 public domain can be defined in contrast to several forms of intellectual property; the [...]
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