Three Things You MUST Know About the Public Domain

You most likely already know that you can make money from the public domain by repackaging books, videos, music, images, pictures, and more. With millions and millions of items free for the taking, it is no wonder that the public domain is such a hot topic for Internet marketers. Following, we’ll discuss a few things about the public domain, that while they are not secrets as such, they are important for you to consider as you build your Internet marketing fortune.

Be Aware of Gender Biases

Unless you’re fortunate enough to find something as rich as Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich,” you probably don’t want your public domain products to scream “public domain.” In most cases, you will want your customers to view them as hot, new and fresh products. No one needs to know you got a good portion of them for free! Since most products that are now in the public domain were created before 1923, they were created at a time when women held a much different role in society. For example, most women during that time did not work outside the home as they do today. By the same token, most men didn’t change diapers, cry, or help out around the house, let alone would you hear of a stay at home father.

You may not run across any gender biases at all in your public domain materials. It will depend largely on the subject but if you do, be sure and rephrase the material to reflect today’s society.

The Internet has no Country

Laws governing the public domain are country specific and each country’s laws are not necessarily the same. This means that if you live in the United States and you procure an item from the public domain over the Internet, the laws that govern the country where the work was published are the laws that govern. So not only will you need to check the laws of your country regarding public domain, you will also need to check the laws of the country where the work was published.

Government Works are in the Public Domain

Although it is true that works that the government produces are indeed part of the public domain, there are many, many individuals and companies that contract with the government to do work for them and in this case, the work may not be in the public domain at all. This can and often is confusing. Say the government publishes a pamphlet. According to the law, one would assume that this work is automatically in the public domain. But a closer check reveals that the government contracted with an individual to produce the pamphlet. In this case, the work would be copyrighted and afforded protection under the law. Therefore, it is always best to check and make sure the work in question is really a part of the public domain rather than assume so.