public domain

Definitions

The state of belonging or being available to the public as a whole, and therefore not subject to copyright.

The status of creative materials that are not protected by intellectual property laws such as copyright, trademark, or patent laws.

Examples

Many classic novels are now in the public domain, allowing anyone to publish or adapt them freely.

The government released the satellite images into the public domain so that researchers could study them without copyright restrictions.

Synonyms

unrestricted free for use non-copyrighted common property open access

Antonyms

copyrighted proprietary restricted intellectual property privately owned