Wiktionary:Word of the day/2022/January 1

Word of the day
for January 1
public domain n
  1. (also attributively) Often preceded by in the.
    1. The state of not being owned by anyone, and thus freely usable by everyone.
      1. (specifically, law) The realm of intellectual property which is not or no longer protected by copyrights or patents, and thus over which no person can establish a proprietary interest.
    2. The state of not or no longer being confidential or secret. [...]
  2. (especially US) Land regarded as owned by the public, and not subject to a land patent or other forms of private ownership (for example, unowned prairie in the southwestern and western United States).

Today, New Year’s Day, is also Public Domain Day, an observance of the date when many copyrights expire, and works thus enter the public domain.

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