Help:Public domain

This page helps users determine whether a given work is in the public domain, and which template to use.

Criteria for U.S. copyright

These tables summarise the conditions a work must meet in order to be safely considered public domain in the United States.

Not public domain

Conditions	Date PD
unpublished works created before 1978 and published 1977–2003	2048–2073[a]

Public domain

Corporate authorship

'Corporate authorship' refers to works written for hire or in the name of a corporation.

Date of publication	Conditions	Public domain	Template
none.	unpublished	Works created 120+ years ago (1903)	{{PD-US-unpublished}}
1928 through 1977	published outside the US and copyright in its home country	works created 120+ years ago (1903) or published 95+ years ago (1928), whichever is earliest.	none.
1978–1 March 1989	no notice, but subsequent registration or with notice	works created 120+ years ago (1903) or published 95+ years ago (1928), whichever is earliest.	none.
After 1 March 1989	none.	works created 120+ years ago (1903) or published over 95+ years ago (1928), whichever is earliest.	none.

Unpublished works

An unpublished work is one that has never been published in any form, or which was first published after 2003 but created before 1935.

Note for the European Union: If a previously unpublished work is published the first time ("editio princeps") later than 70 years after the death of the author, then it is no more public domain but it is granted a copyright for 25 years (Council Directive 93/98/EEC, see here)

Type of work	What is public domain	Template
Most works (except those below) or created before 1978 and published after 2002	works of authors who died 70+ years ago (1953)	{{PD-US-unpublished}}
anonymous or pseudonymous or author's date of death unknown	Works created 120+ years ago (1903)	{{PD-US-unpublished}}

Published in the United States

Date of publication	Condition	What is public domain	Template
Before 1928	none.	all works.	{{PD-US-expired}}
1928–1963	with notice, no renewal[b]	all works.	{{PD-US-not renewed}}
1928–1963	with notice and renewal[b]	Works published 95+ years ago (1928)	none.
1928–1977	no copyright notice	all works.	{{PD-US-no notice}}
1964–1977	with notice	Works published 95+ years ago (1928)	none.
1978–1 March 1989	no notice or subsequent registration	all works.	none.
1978–1 March 1989	no notice, but subsequent registration or with notice	works of authors who died 70+ years ago (1953)	none.
After 1 March 1989	none.	works of authors who died 70+ years ago (1953)
Any time	prepared by an on-duty officer or employee of the United States Federal Government	all works.	{{PD-USGov}}
Any time	official documents of the United Nations	Official records, UN documents issued with a UN symbol, and not-for-sale public information materials designed primarily to inform the public about United Nations activities	{{PD-UN}}

Published outside the United States

Note: Foreign works published after 1927 are likely to be still under copyright in the US because of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, even if they briefly entered public domain before the agreement.

Date of publication	Condition	What is public domain	Template
Before 1 July 1909	none.	all works.	{{PD-US-expired}}
1 July 1909–1927	in compliance with US formalities	all works.	{{PD-US-expired}}
1928–1977	public domain in its home country as of 1 January 1996	all works.	{{PD-1996}}
After 1 January 1978	copyright in its home country	works by authors who died 95+ years ago (1928)

Published in Greater China

Condition	What is public domain	Template
Works ineligible for copyright in Mainland China	Laws; regulations; resolutions, decisions and orders of State organs; other documents of a legislative, administrative or judicial nature; and their official translations.	{{PD-PRC-exempt}}
Official works of Macao	Official works, in particular the texts of treaties, laws and regulations and those of reports or decisions by authorities of any kind, and translations thereof.	{{PD-MacaoGov}}
Works ineligible for copyright in Taiwan	The constitution, acts, regulations, official documents (including proclamations, text of speeches, news releases, and other documents prepared by civil servants in the course of carrying out their duties), and their translations and compilations by central or local government agencies.	{{PD-ROC-exempt}}

Miscellaneous

Condition	What is public domain	Template
No creative content	Some works (vague)	{{PD-ineligible}}
Copyright released by holder	All works	{{PD-release}}

Copyright terms by country

See also: Commons:Copyright rules by territory.

These tables outline the estimated length of time of copyright per country. Laws regarding anonymous works, corporate-authored works, or non-literary works vary per country. This is not intended to be used as a legal guideline since it cannot reflect the complexity of the copyright laws in effect at any one time and since copyright laws are changing continuously; this section simply provides a useful summary as part of a more in-depth research.

Country	Copyright length
Albania	life + 70
Algeria	life + 50
Andorra	life + 70
Angola	life + 50
Argentina	life + 70
Armenia	life + 50
Aruba	life + 50
Australia	Government works  Works made, or first published, by a federal, state or territory government: expires 50 years from the end of the year made or first published. Non-government works Literary, dramatic and musical works (not computer programs): expired if made public during author's lifetime and author died before 1 January 1955, otherwise life + 70 expired if made public before 1 January 1955 after author's death and before 1 January 2019, otherwise year first made public + 70 expired if made public on or after 1 January 2019 and author died before 1 January 1949, otherwise life + 70 expired if never made public and author died before 1 January 1949, otherwise life + 70 Artistic works (not engravings or photographs): expired if author died before 1 January 1955, otherwise life + 70. Photographs: expired if made before 1 January 1955, otherwise year made or first made public + 70.
Austria	life + 70
Azerbaijan	life + 50
Bahrain	life + 50
Bangladesh	life + 50
Barbados	life + 50
Belarus	life + 50
Belgium	life + 70
Belize	life + 50
Benin	life + 50
Bhutan	life + 50
Bolivia	life + 50
Bosnia and Herzegovina	life + 70
Brazil	life + 70 for known authors first publication + 70 for anonymous or pseudonymous works (only if the author doesn't make their identity known before the expiry) first publication + 70 for audiovisual and photographic works, phonograms and transmission for the broadcasts of broadcasting organizations texts of treaties or conventions, laws, decrees, regulations, judicial decisions and other official enactments shall be excluded from copyright protection
Brunei	life + 50
Bulgaria	life + 70
Burkina Faso	life + 50
Burundi	life + 50
Cambodia	life + 50
Cameroon	life + 50
Canada	life + 50
Cape Verde	life + 50
Chile	life + 50
China	life + 50
Colombia	life + 80; publication + 80 for collective, anonymous and cinematic works; publication + 70 when its owner is a legal entity or an official body or any institution under government public law.
Costa Rica	life + 70
Côte d'Ivoire	life + 99
Croatia	life + 70 (before 27 of July 1999 span of author rights in Croatia extended 50 years after authors death, after that date Croatia accepted EU laws ;70 years of author rights after authors death, works of anybody who died before 31st of December 1948, or on that day, are in PD.)
Cuba	life + 50
Czech Republic	life + 70
Denmark	Literary and artistic works: life + 70 Photographs (taken 1970-now), sounds recordings and video: 50 years. Photographs (taken before 1970): 25 years.
Djibouti	life + 25
Dominica	life + 70
Dominican Republic	life + 50
Ecuador	life + 70
Egypt	life + 50
El Salvador	life + 50
Estonia	life + 70
European Union	life + 70
Fiji	life + 50
Finland	life + 70
France	life + 70. For collective works, publication + 70.
Georgia	life + 70
Germany	life + 70
Ghana	life + 70
Greece	life + 70
Guatemala	life + 75
Honduras	life + 75
Hong Kong	life + 50
Hungary	life + 70
Iceland	life + 70
India	life + 60 for literary or musical works or artistic works, publication + 60 for others.
Indonesia	life + 50
Iran	life + 30
Iraq	life + 50 (imposed by occupying provisional authority)
Ireland	life + 70
Israel	life + 70
Italy	life + 70
Jamaica	life + 50
Japan	life + 70
Jordan	life + 50
Kazakhstan	life + 50
Kenya	life + 50
Korea (South)	life + 50 (death before 1963) life + 70 (died in or after 1963)
Kuwait	life + 50
Kyrgyzstan	life + 50
Latvia	life + 70
Lebanon	life + 50
Libya	life + 25, with 50-year minimum (as of 1968; may have changed since)
Liechtenstein	life + 70
Lithuania	life + 70
Luxembourg	life + 70
Macao	life + 50 for known authors; first publication + 50 for anonymous
Madagascar	life + 70
Malaysia	life + 50
Maldives	none
Mali	life + 50
Malta	life + 70
Marshal Islands	none
Mauritius	life + 50
Mexico	life + 100
Moldova	life + 50
Mongolia	life + 50
Montenegro	life + 70
Morocco	for a work created by a known author : life + 70 for a work created anonymously or under a pseudonym, and a collective or audiovisual work : first lawful publication + 70 if no such event occurred within 50 years after the making of the work, making available to the public + 70 if no such events occurred within 50 years after the making of the work, making of the work + 70
Namibia	life + 50
The Netherlands	life + 70
New Zealand	life + 50
Nicaragua	life + 70
Niger	life + 50
Nigeria	Life + 70
Norway	life + 70
Oman	life + 50
Pakistan	life + 50
Palau	life + 50
Panama	life + 50
Papua New Guinea	life + 50
Paraguay	life + 70
Peru	for a work created by a known author : life + 70 (if died before 1946, life + 50) for a work created by a anonymous author: publish + 70 years (if published before 1981, publish + 15 years) for a work created by a collective: publish + 70 years (if published before 1971, publish + 25 years) for non-individual photographs: create + 70 years (if disclosed before 1976, disclosure + 20 years) for government administrative and official text: public domain
Philippines	life + 50
Poland	Life + 70
Qatar	life + 50
Romania	life + 70
Russia	life + 70 (life + 50 for works whose copyright expired before July 28, 2004 1993)
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	life + 50
Samoa	Life + 75
Saudi Arabia	life + 50
Serbia	life + 70
Seychelles	life + 25
Singapore	life + 70
Slovakia	life + 70
Slovenia	life + 70
Solomon Islands	life + 50
South Africa	life + 50
Spain	life + 80 (before 1987); life + 70 (after 1987)
Sudan	life + 50
Eswatini	life + 50
Sweden	life + 70
Switzerland	life + 70
Syria	life + 50
Taiwan	life + 50
Tajikistan	life + 50
Tanzania	life + 50
Thailand	life + 50
Togo	life + 50
Tonga	life + 50
Trinidad and Tobago	life + 50
Tunisia	life + 50
Turkey	life + 70
United Arab Emirates	life + 50
United Kingdom	life + 70
United States	expired for works published before 1928; 28 or 95 years for works copyrighted 1928–1963; 95 years for works copyrighted 1964–1977; thereafter life+70.
Uruguay	life + 50
Uzbekistan	life + 50
Venezuela	life + 60
Vietnam	life + 50
Yemen	life + 30
Zambia	life + 50
Zimbabwe	life + 50

See also

• Wikisource's copyright policy
• Copyright tags
• COM:EIC#Copy - Copyright entry in the Editor's index to Commons

Notes

Footnotes

• ^a These works have copyright terms extending 70 years beyond the author's life, or until 31 December 2047 (whichever is greater).
• ^b The United States Copyright renewal records search engine is a useful tool for determining renewal status.