Between my iPhone's Stanza app and the loooooong quiet days ahead of me in the office during the holiday season, I'd like to read some stuff online. Any suggestions? [more inside]
posted by Madamina on Nov 25, 2009 - 6 answers

How do I prepare digitized public domain works for clean print on demand? [more inside]
posted by yamel on Sep 18, 2009 - 2 answers

question about copyright infringement regarding sesame street characters. [more inside]
posted by cvilleluke on Jul 7, 2009 - 15 answers

Is there somewhere that has the USGS (public-domain?) topographic maps available for free download? [more inside]
posted by ConstantineXVI on Jun 30, 2009 - 9 answers

Dear mefites, Is it legal to use creative commons stuff, properly licensed and attributed, on a political website that 1) expresses views that the original author might not like, and 2) raises money, such as for a candidate or a party's branch? Particularly interested in stuff that's got a non-commercial license but is okay to use for derivative works. This is in the U.K. Thanks!
posted by anonymous on Jan 12, 2009 - 6 answers

Can Spoonflower or a similar company legally print me a bolt of fabric using a William Morris (1834-1896) design? [more inside]
posted by notquitemaryann on Jan 7, 2009 - 9 answers

Please give me your recommendations for great in-the-public-domain reads. [more inside]
posted by peacheater on Nov 28, 2008 - 25 answers

I'd like to find some public domain photos for a book proposal on urban sprawl and smart growth. [more inside]
posted by hamster on Jun 29, 2008 - 5 answers

When were the popular lyrics to Taps written? [more inside]
posted by cider on Jun 26, 2008 - 2 answers

I'm looking for recommendations on gpl'd or public domain card games and role playing games. Which ones are easiest to learn and the most fun?
posted by JaySunSee on Mar 14, 2008 - 6 answers

I have a website where I upload all of my photos and license them as public domain. Each photo is individually listed as public domain, each has a link to it's Creative Commons "license" as a work in the public domain, and the site is rather obviously all about photos in the public domain. The problem - Large companies are taking my photos and, without editing them, putting their copyright on them. Is this evil, and how nasty should I be about it? [more inside]
posted by Ragma on Feb 27, 2008 - 28 answers

How can I find the original source image from an anatomy poster? [more inside]
posted by andreux on Feb 22, 2008 - 4 answers

Which Creative Commons license is most like public domain? Does it make any sense to license the content I've posted if it's in the public domain? [more inside]
posted by cog_nate on Dec 19, 2007 - 8 answers

Is it or isn't it public domain? News article published in 1909 should be in the public domain, but news service I purchased it from says its copyrighted. [more inside]
posted by [insert clever name here] on Nov 13, 2007 - 14 answers

I need to make a simple contract in which I photograph something and the resulting images end up in the public domain. [more inside]
posted by fake on Nov 7, 2007 - 9 answers

Are national flags in the public domain? [more inside]
posted by deep_sea_diving_suit on Oct 25, 2007 - 7 answers

Can you recommend me some bizarre and/or threatening public domain photographs? [more inside]
posted by goodnewsfortheinsane on Oct 4, 2007 - 15 answers

Are U.S. Government publications copyrighted or in the Public Domain? More specifically, are Federal Reserve publications copyrighted or in the Public Domain? I'd like to be able to monkey with these comics, but am wary of violating copyright. (I've sent e-mail to the Federal Reserve asking this same question, but am skeptical that I'll receive a timely response.)
posted by jdroth on Aug 23, 2007 - 28 answers

I'm trying to find public domain ebooks on European history, particularly from the time of Louis XIV. [more inside]
posted by happyturtle on Jul 7, 2007 - 2 answers

Does the public library have the right to charge a "licensing fee" or "usage fee" for images, photos, drawings, etc., that they have placed online, but that were created before January 1, 1923? Isn't this work in the public domain, and therefore, free of charge? [more inside]
posted by davidinmanhattan on Jul 5, 2007 - 26 answers

I love finding books and authors who have been forgotten until a long time fan decides to make their work available again through some labor of love small press. Do you know of a publisher that has a somewhat esoteric focus along these lines? Who are they? Fiction or non is fine. It doesn't have to be someone who republishes old books though. If you know a house that has great taste with contemporary authors, go ahead and share. I would also like to hear about small presses that do particularly beautiful editions of good reading books as long as they are reasonably priced (barely breaking a $100). I've got a few examples inside. [more inside]
posted by BigSky on Jun 21, 2007 - 19 answers

I'm trying to cite photos that are in the public domain. How would I go about doing this? [more inside]
posted by piratebowling on May 3, 2007 - 5 answers

How can I find the if a movie is in the public domain? [more inside]
posted by victorashul on Apr 15, 2007 - 14 answers

Is there a definitive way to know whether a silent film is in the public domain or not? [more inside]
posted by (bb|[^b]{2}) on Apr 6, 2007 - 15 answers

I'm a fan of vintage NASA animations (like this one), but they are hard to find. I suspect that there's an archive of this stuff available to the public somewhere -- maybe a stack of dusty U-Matic tapes at the Library of Congress. Any ideas where I can find more?
posted by Chinese Jet Pilot on Mar 23, 2007 - 2 answers

I need to populate a database of a Google Maps mashup with the names and addresses of restaurants in the U.S. and Canada. Where can I find this info in digital form? [more inside]
posted by dripdripdrop on Mar 9, 2007 - 4 answers

Do I need an MCPS license to make a CD of public domain music performed by myself? [more inside]
posted by cbrody on Jan 22, 2007 - 4 answers

Dear kind folks Ask Metafilter: I am Desperately seeking public domain/creative commons footage of knights fighting. [more inside]
posted by CXImran on Jan 14, 2007 - 4 answers

Copyright-filter: "The Public Domain status does not give you the right to resell material unless you have access to the original source and permission from the owner to reproduce the material" What? [more inside]
posted by crypticgeek on Dec 19, 2006 - 13 answers

How can I scan a book that is precious to me? The book is a couple hundred pages and I just want to produce high-quality pdfs. [more inside]
posted by vacapinta on Oct 25, 2006 - 9 answers

Where can I find a large database of photgraphs like this that are in the public domain? I'm also looking for a large site with pictures from World War I that are free to use. [more inside]
posted by interrobang on Sep 3, 2006 - 9 answers

Does anyone know where I can find a list of all (or even many) of the plays that are currently in the public domain? One-acts, full-length, whatever...so long as they're free to produce.
posted by youcancallmeal on Aug 9, 2006 - 4 answers

Legal status of creative works from the USSR. [more inside]
posted by adamrice on Jul 15, 2006 - 5 answers

If an individual makes a speech in a public setting, does the text of that speech become part of the public domain?
posted by NotMyselfRightNow on Jul 7, 2006 - 12 answers

Are classic tales such as "Three Billy Goats Gruff", "The Tortoise and the Hare", and "Little Red Riding Hood" in the public domain and available to be reused? [more inside]
posted by bjork24 on Jan 25, 2006 - 9 answers

royalty free optical illusions? [more inside]
posted by ransom on Nov 28, 2005 - 2 answers

Is UK postcode data freely available in the public domain? [more inside]
posted by ajp on Oct 24, 2005 - 9 answers

Where can I find public domain recordings from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker? I know the music itself is public domain, but I'm worried about using a copyrighted recording. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies would be particularly nice since it's for a slideshow featuring pictures of little girls trying out for the ballet.
posted by TheGoldenOne on Sep 21, 2005 - 3 answers

Need suggestions for "moody" and "provocative" audio/sources for said audio to play in between songs during a live performance. [more inside]
posted by basicchannel on Aug 4, 2005 - 10 answers

I was having an argument with a friend, and he stumped me with a question that I never even considered: "Why is the public domain so good?" I always accepted that, like puppies being cute and Bush being dumb, it just is. What are some concrete examples why it's so good?
posted by keswick on May 9, 2005 - 43 answers

Inspired by the question about publicly available news footage: Is it possible to download somewhere all 7 (?) parts of Frank Capra's WWII series "Why We Fight"? I know it's in the public domain, having been produced with taxpayer dollars, but all I can find is people selling it on DVD and VHS, with the exception of the final title, which Prelinger has. Are there MPEG-2 or avi versions of the other titles somewhere?

Also, if I could sneak in a twofer -- Where do Jon Stewart, SNL, etc. get the video and stills they use in their news parodies? I know parody is protected, so they probably don't have to clear rights, but do they just copy it down from regular programming? Or is there some kind of archive they're tapping? Does CBS, for instance, just give you this stuff if you ask for it?
posted by stupidsexyFlanders on Dec 16, 2004 - 8 answers

Is John Ashcroft's singing of "Let the Eagle Soar" a copyrighted recording, or does him (formerly) being a gov't official doing it at some strange gov't event in public make it public domain? [more inside]
posted by mathowie on Nov 11, 2004 - 12 answers

How do you figure out who owns the rights to something? Specifically, I want to know who owns the rights to an old movie ("Dead of Night"). But I thought it might be useful to open the question up a bit more. Are there good databases out there where I can look up a book, song, movie, or whatever and find out if it's public domain or owned by someone -- and, if so, who owns it?
posted by grumblebee on Oct 31, 2004 - 10 answers

Which license should I choose? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by deaddodo on Oct 7, 2004 - 10 answers

Where can I find public-domain images of hot air balloons? (Preferably black-and-white line-drawings, like the ones in The 21 Balloons.)
posted by Tlogmer on Sep 23, 2004 - 6 answers

Long shot - anyone know of any public domain/ no copyright horribly twee paintings/ illustrations like this (not photos)?
posted by Pericles on Aug 28, 2004 - 9 answers

Is there something like Project Gutenberg for public domain sheet music? I'm specifically interested in classical, particularly orchestral scores. Dover Books do some very cheap ones, but I'm a big fan of free whenever possible!
posted by PinkStainlessTail on Jun 20, 2004 - 5 answers

I have a question regarding copyright, public domain, and the digital domain. It's kind of a "fight the power" thing. [mi] [more inside]
posted by keswick on May 22, 2004 - 13 answers

I'm looking for a quote by (I believe) a SCOTUS judge, who said that the purpose of copyright law is to protect the public domain first, and allow exploitation of creative works second.

I lost some of my notes on copyright, and extensive googling has turned up very little. I think Lessig might've referenced it in an interview/post somewhere on the net, but I'm having a hard time locating it. I turn to you, oh great Mefites.
posted by Jairus on Feb 27, 2004 - 8 answers

I'm thinking of producing an unabridged audio book (more for the experience than for money). I have a wonderful voice-actress who is up for it. Now I need to choose a book. I'd like it to be fiction and something in public domain (i.e. a classic). What would you like to hear that hasn't been recorded already (or that's been done badly)?
posted by grumblebee on Feb 4, 2004 - 13 answers