Talk:Public domain

"Public domain" is a legal concept, often associated with intellectual property. Sometimes it is understood as "something that belongs to all people in general" or "public property". But it also means that the rights associated with that specific good are not held with exclusivity by any person. For instance, concerning copyright, after a number of years (defined by local law) the author of a book will not be able to exert the rights associated with it (such as the right to repent, or the right to maintain the work unpublished), and any person will be able to publish it, with no exclusivity.

The definition of public domain also applies to rights associated with trademarks and patents. For instance, a certain technology that was once patented will become public domain after the patent expires, and its exploitation will be possible by anybody, and nobody will be able to claim exclusivity related to it.

This phrase is incorrect: "Another way to use the phrase is this: If a person has published something in a book or newspaper (and so it is no longer private), we say it is in the public domain. But in this usage it may still not belong to the public, it may be copyrighted." What is copyrighted cannot be in public domain. What is published, being copyrighted, is brought to public acess, but it is not public domain.