Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Copyright protection lasts for the lifetime of an author plus 70 years after the author has passed away. The 'public domain' refers to works whose term of copyright protection has lapsed. When copyright owners have made clear declarations that they have waived their economic rights in relation to their works, or that they will not assert their economic rights in relation to their works, those works are also considered to be within the scope of the public domain. 

It is important to note that there is a difference between 'public domain' works and 'publicly accessible' works. It's best not to assume that everything you find online is within the scope of the public domain. Just because something is publicly accessible doesn't mean that it's within the scope of the public domain. When using online content, you should make sure that your use is permitted by an educational exception from the Copyright Act, is within the scope of Fair Dealing, or is in accordance with a website's 'Terms of Use' or 'Legal Notices' section. 

For more information, please see our Overview of Copyright page.