Public domain dates in 6 territories, with the rule behind each one
More than 36,000 works, each showing when it enters the public domain in the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Every record shows a date for each of the six territories, and the rule that produced it: life plus 70, life plus 50, or the American rules that run from publication. A producer can see in one line why a novel is free in Canada and protected in the UK.
Where a US renewal was looked up, the record cites it by number so a clearance lawyer can confirm it in a minute. Where nobody has checked, the record says Not verified rather than guessing in either direction.
Public domain is not the same as clear. Restored foreign copyrights, later editions and live trademarks get their own flag, and none of it is legal advice.
Questions about Public Domain Rights
From the author's death year and the first publication date, applied to each territory's rule. Each record shows which rule produced its date, so you can check the working.
Nobody has checked the US renewal records for that work, so it is neither confirmed free nor confirmed protected. The record says exactly that and leaves the decision to you and your lawyer.
No. It tells you what the records say and which rule applied. Before you spend money on a property, a clearance lawyer still signs it off.
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