public domain

American  

noun

Law.

1. the status of a literary work or an invention whose copyright or patent has expired or that never had such protection.

2. land owned by the government.

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public domain British  

noun

1. lands owned by a state or by the federal government

2. the status of a published work or invention upon which the copyright or patent has expired or which has not been patented or subject to copyright. It may thus be freely used by the public

3. able to be discussed and examined freely by the general public

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Other Word Forms

• public-domain
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of public domain

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

public domain

Another benefit is that it shields their executives from testifying in court or insider documents spilling into the public domain.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

Technologies that have entered the public domain through published papers or open-source releases are excluded from controls, according to the draft proposal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Its creator Olly, who did not share his last name, told the BBC he posts pictures in the public domain or where he has permission from the rights holder.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

That ended with a multi-billion-dollar settlement and court case that spilled some of the family's secrets into the public domain.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Congress effectively outlawed their communal property, passing vast acreages into the public domain, tracts which then suddenly wound up in the hands of large American ranching enterprises like the Devine Company.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

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