Intellectual Property Insights from Fishman Stewart
Mini Article – Volume 23, Issue 1
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Happy (Belated) Public Domain Day!
By Kristyn C. Webb
Public Domain Day is celebrated on January 1st and commemorates the expiration of copyright protection for certain creative works. US copyright law provides the copyright owner with certain exclusive rights for a limited time, after which the works fall into the public domain. Once a work enters the public domain, anyone is free to copy, publish, distribute, adapt, and otherwise use the work without infringing the rights of the former copyright owner.
This year we welcome “Steppenwolf” by Herman Hesse, Margaret Wise Brown’s book “Goodnight Moon,” and Alfred Hitchcock’s film “The Lodger” to the public domain.
An overview of these and other famous works that have entered the public domain can be found here.
For more information on copyright and the Public Domain, contact Kristyn Webb.
Kristyn Webb is the Group Leader of Fishman Stewart’s Copyright Practice Group, and is currently earning a Master’s Degree in Copyright Law at King’s College London.
Published January 13, 2023
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