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Software Licenses   >   Public Domain

Public Domain


Public domain refers to those works (including software) where there is no copyright or proprietary interest in the work, either because the copyright has expired, because of the operation of law, or because the rights holder(s) chose to place their work into the public domain (the last of which may not be possible in some jurisdictions). As a result of being in the public domain, there are very few if any restrictions on how the work may be used or distributed by others.

For authors who wish to allow free use of their works, an alternative to placing them in the public domain is to use a permissive license. This allows very broad usage of the work while allowing the copyright-holder to include a disclaimer of warranties and require attribution if he wishes.

Please note that the phrase "public domain" is also sometimes used, generally informally (but even in some court cases) to refer to works or information that is public knowledge and/or widely available. When used in this manner, the phrase does not mean that no copyrights or other proprietary interests apply.

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