public domain

English

Noun

public domain (uncountable)

1. The realm of intellectual property which is not protected by patents or copyright, i.e. over which no person or other legal entity can establish a proprietary interest.

   This book is in the public domain.

   There is very little information about the treaty which is in the public domain.

2. Open land such as unowned prairie in the western and southwestern United States; space not subject to a land patent.
3. The realm of published works, as opposed to unpublished tracts.
   • 2012, David W. Phillipson, Foundations of an African Civilisation. Aksum & the northern Horn, 1000 BC–AD 1300, Woodbridge, Suffolk: James Currey, page 5:

     All works cited in this book are in the public domain: I have strictly excluded items such as unpublished university dissertations and conference presentations, reports of limited circulation like those to licensing and funding agencies, and notes in newsletters.

Derived terms

• public domainness

See also

• public property

Translations

realm of intellectual property

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Catalan: domini públic m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 公共領域, 公共领域 (gōnggòng lǐngyù), 公有領域, 公有领域 (gōngyǒu lǐngyù)

• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Dutch: publiek domein (nl) n
• Esperanto: publika havaĵo, publikaĵo
• Finnish: tekijänoikeudettomuus, tekijänoikeusvapaus
• French: domaine public (fr) m
• Georgian: საყოველთაო საკუთრება (saq̇oveltao saḳutreba)
• German: Public Domain f, Gemeinfreiheit (de) f

• Hungarian: közkincs (hu), szabad felhasználás
• Indonesian: ranah umum
• Italian: pubblico dominio (it) m
• Japanese: パブリックドメイン (ja) (paburikkudomein)
• Korean: 퍼블릭 도메인 (peobeullik domein)
• Polish: własność publiczna f, domena publiczna (pl) f
• Portuguese: domínio público m
• Romanian: domeniu public (ro) n
• Russian: обще́ственное достоя́ние (ru) n (obščéstvennoje dostojánije), всео́бщее достоя́ние n (vseóbščeje dostojánije)
• Spanish: dominio público (es) m
• Swedish: allmän egendom c

attributive: not subject to any copyright or patent restrictions

• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 公有土地 (gōngyǒu tǔdì), 公地 (zh) (gōngdì)

• Danish: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: tekijänoikeudeton
• German: gemeinfrei (de)

• Hungarian: közkincsbe/közkincshez tartozó, szabadon felhasználható/használható/terjeszthető, szabad felhasználású, szabad (hu), ingyenes (hu)
• Indonesian: ranah umum
• Portuguese: em domínio público
• Romanian: de domeniu public
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: de(l) dominio público