Freelancing Reviews

Public Domain Part 2 Our US Government Is Very Kind

Public Domain, Part 2: Our US Government Is Very Kind

Although this article is titled to indicate that the US Government is “kind” when it comes to providing content for use in our own published materials, the fact is, this has not been a result of kindness as much as a series of blunders in the national copyright law’s history. We, as publishers, are very fortunate, however, in that this history has left things wide open for us to be able to use voluminous amounts of content, at the hands of our Government.

What is the public domain, and why is it important in copyright law? Nearly everybody has heard the term, and has at least a fuzzy notion of why it is significant.

A shorthand description of a “public domain” work is that the piece is the opposite of a copyrighted work. Works that are copyrighted have a collection of rights that are associated with them. The owner of the copyright has the sole right to replicate and circulate the work, alter it, publicly perform or display it... and, if the creation is a sound recording, to perform it publicly using digital means.

If the work is within the public domain, there are no rights of ownership connected with the work. It might be said that “everyone” yet “no one” owns the work. As a result, anyone may replicate the work, distribute it, change it, etcetera.

There is no longer a necessity to ask permission for any type of use, of the work. Members of the public may unreservedly use public domain works, not only for nonprofit, educational, and library purposes - - but also for research, scholarship, and even for commercially developing the work.

What does this mean for the Internet marketer? Now, in addition to creating products yourself, one of the speediest and lowest - cost ways to acquire all the content and merchandise you need, can be found in the public domain.

The vast majority of Federal government publications are in the public domain. Because the Copyright Act is a Federal statute, it is voiceless when it comes to state government publications. Therefore, states are free to claim copyright on their documents, if they so choose. Be sure to check the state of origin for documents you may have questions for, and contact authorities to make sure you have the rights for republishing state works.

Resell It. You can re - publish public domain content - - either items created by the Federal government, or by individuals - - exactly as it is. Whether it's a book, a movie, or even music, you can use this content and speedily turn it into a product. Simply copy it as it exists, and start selling it!

By using free information and articles, you can swiftly upload hundreds or even thousands of articles on a particular subject - - in no time at all and for very little outlay. Trying to purchase those same hundreds or thousands of articles would cost a great amount of money - - money that you carries no guarantee for being returned with your Google AdSense Web site. By using free articles and information on your Web site, you will be able to begin earning money before you spend any.

Utilizing free reprintable articles could be of huge benefit to you as a Google AdSense site owner. This could mean that you could be in business much quicker and creating an income flow that much sooner. Your primary task would be to spend time in locating free articles that have the keywords you want to publish on your Web site. Since the material is copyright - free, you could add the needed keywords to the existing content, as well.

Today, it is difficult for an author to place a work within the public domain. Because copyright automatically affixes itself when one creates a fixed, original work of authorship - - how can a person dedicate a work to the public? In reality, it may not be possible to do so. What one can do, however, is to add in a note with the work to the effect that the creator makes no claim of copyright, which thus grants all users the rights to make any use of the work. You will find some of these on Wikipedia. org, where creators have donated their works to the public domain.

Ah, this is good news for our budget restrictions, I hear you say! Yes, we are Internet marketers, my dear colleague. It is obvious you are seeing the writing on the wall! This is the splendor of the Web! It is not often that we have to fork over an extensive amount to invest in something. Many pathways are available for us to make good use of free public domain information!

There are several sources to locate various types of public domain works. A recently published work, THE PUBLIC DOMAIN: HOW TO FIND & USE COPYRIGHT - FREE WRITINGS, MUSIC, ART & MORE by Stephen Fishman details many of these sources. This excellent book may be found at Amazon. com and other booksellers. ( Source: http://www.unc.edu/~unclng/copy-corner34.htm)

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About The Author:

Peter Dobler is a veteran in the IT business. His passion for experimenting with new internet marketing strategies leads him to explore new niche markets.
Read more about his experience with freelancing; visit http://freelancing.tip4u2.com