What is a public-domain work?
Public domain works are works of authorship or creative works that are not protected by copyright law and are available to everyone. In the United States, works that are in the public domain include works created by the federal government or its agencies, or works that have had their copyrights expire. These public domain works can be used in any way, including republishing, modifying, or creating derivative works. In Washington, the duration of copyright protection is the life of the author plus 70 years. After the expiration of that copyright protection, the work of authorship falls into the public domain. For example, the book "Gone with the Wind" written by Margaret Mitchell in 1936 and whose copyright was not renewed in 1964, would now be considered in the public domain in Washington. Anyone could now legally copy the book, adapt it for the stage or screen, or even republish it.
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