The Public Domain - Why WIPO should care

Abstract

"Public domain" means works that either never have been copyrighted or that are no longer within the term of protection under the applicable intellectual property laws. These works are crucial in preserving our history, scientific knowledge, technology and inventions, and cultural heritage for present and future generations. Access to the public domain fosters learning, innovation and creation of new works. Those works may themselves then be subject to new rights, but that is a benefit not a burden of a rich public domain. Libraries all over the world are working to save "including through digitisation" older, and often endangered, materials that are in the public domain. Public domain works may be used without expending resources and cost in tracing rightholders to obtain permission or buying licences. It is a lot easier therefore