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·Commercial ·Editorial ·Educational
These 3 types of licensing are “almost” all encompassing. They cover just about any use you can think of. There are many different variations of these three licenses, and most likely unlimited variations, it would take too long to go through all of them if in fact there is a limit. The main purpose of this example is simplification. The next obvious question is.
“How long does copyright last?”
This depends on where you are in
world. Different countries have different laws governing copyright laws. The one common factor here is “rights”. The owner of
work is
one who created it, and these rights continue on even after
authors death. Copyright can last as long as 120 years from
date of creation if created by a corporation, and life plus 70 years if created by an individual. This is according to current US Copyright Law 2004.
Now, since we have given you a brief overview of US copyright law, we will explain why we think that both
Public Domain and Copyright Law are extremely important.
Copyright Law protects
original authors rights to sell their work. The Public Domain is very important in preserving culture and providing a valuable resource for all kinds of great works. It is a resource, and
language that governs this area is negative in its connotation. Typically when a work is described as being public domain, it is described as having “fallen into”
public domain. This implies a negative state, and
public domain should not be considered as a catch all for unwanted, outdated material, or worse, an archive for
dispensable.
It should however, be considered as a vast natural resource, rich in culture, and fine works of art. It’s our history, it tells us where we have been and what we have done. It reminds us who we are, and possibly even where we are going. The public domain should be viewed as a Goldmine, chock full of free cultural riches. It belongs to everyone. No person can own it.
Anyone, anywhere, at any time should have access to this great treasure. That is what
Public Domain is all about.
It is about FREEDOM…
Copyright 2005 Eric Wichman. All rights reserved.

Eric Wichman is founder of PD Times at http://www.pdtimes.com, a public domain resources site specializing in free resources for web content and references for webmasters, researchers, marketers, and businesses alike.