Anything classified as “public domain” is free to use for your own purposes.  When you hear the term “public domain” in the realm of online business, it is being applied to creative works of some type.  This may include books, movies, works of art, music, images, photographs, etc.  The reason public domain works are so valuable is that they can often be converted into information products that you can sell for a profit.

How to know if a work is in the public domain

Copyright laws vary by country, so you will need to become familiar with the laws in your country before you utilize public domain works.  In the United States, there are three general rules for evaluating the public domain status of creative works:

1. Works published in the United States before 1923 are in the public domain.
2. Works created after March 1, 1989, even if not published, are copyright protected for 70 years after the author’s death. Works made for hire (corporate authorship) after March 1, 1989 are copyright protected for 120 years from creation or 95 years from publication, whichever is sooner.
3. Works published in the United States between 1923 and March 1, 1989 are also copyright protected, provided that the formalities are observed.

To help clarify the rules, use the following guidelines when determining the public domain status of a work.

A work is in the public domain if it was:

• Published before 1923 
• Published between 1923 and 1978 without a valid copyright notice  
• Published between 1978 and March 1, 1989, without a notice and registration 
• Published between 1923 and 1963 with a copyright notice but author failed to renew it (According to a report, only 7% of copyrights issued through 1958 were renewed)

A work is not in the public domain if any of the following conditions apply:

• Published between 1923 and 1963 with a copyright notice, properly renewed before its expiration for the first 23-year protection term 
• Published between 1963 and March 1, 1989 with a valid copyright notice 
• Published or created any time after March 1, 1989 (Works after this date are deemed automatically under copyright protection)

Where to find public domain works

1. Using your favorite search engine, search for the following keywords. But, always be sure to double-check any results to be certain the works are actually in the public domain.  Failing to do this can land you in hot water for copyright violations.

• public domain music
• public domain images
• public domain books
• public domain movies
• public domain works
• public domain library
• public domain software

2. Check some of the more well-known online public domain sources:

• bartleby.com
• ibiblio.org
• readprint.com
• gutenberg.org
• retrofilm.com

3. Research for available books at your local library that meet the public domain criteria.

Once you’ve found some material that you can use to put together a product of your own, there are many ways to go about creating a great product.  You can produce ebooks, audio CDs, videos, newsletters, membership websites, etc.  The sky is the limit.  So, do some research up front to find a good niche, dig into the public domain and find some material to make a product for that market, produce the product, and make some money. 

Of course, this is an oversimplification of the steps involved.  But it should provide you with enough information to get you started in the right direction.  Public domain works have created fortunes for many individuals and businesses throughout the last century.  You, too, can utilize the public domain to build your own information product empire.

information product, online business, public domain