Copyright and Fair Use

Material that is in the public domain is out of copyright and therefore can be used for any purpose, including commercial, for-profit, and re-mixing.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is an example of a work that re-purposed something in the public domain and sold it for profit.

The basic rule of thumb is that anything published before 1929 is in the public domain. However, as a rule of thumb, it does not perfectly apply to every item. (For example, some work-for-hire materials created before 1929 are still not in the public domain. Also, some works that were written prior to 1924, but not copyrighted until after 1924 are still not in the public domain.)

• This chart from Cornell provides a breakdown of when different categories of materials become part of the public domain.
• The Wikipedia page on Public Domain provides links to many public domain resources.
• Digital Copyright Slider: Is it Protected by Copyright? - Use this tool to determine if a work is protected by copyright or is in the public domain. (ALA Office for Information Technology Policy)