Is this work public domain? Enter the publication year and get an instant answer.
⚠️ This tool estimates U.S. public-domain status based on publication date and general rules. It is NOT legal advice. Many edge cases exist. For any commercial or important use, consult a qualified copyright attorney. All calculation runs locally; no data is uploaded.
Under current US law, works published after 1978 are protected for the author's life + 70 years (individual) or 95 years from publication(corporate / work-for-hire). Earlier works follow their own clocks: pre-1930 works are already public domain, 1930–1963 works lasted 95 years if renewed in year 28 (most unrenewed ones lapsed), and 1964–1977 works get a flat 95 years with automatic renewal. Because the term is measured from different anchors — the author's death versus the publication date — two works from the same year can expire decades apart. On January 1 of each year, the next class of works enters the US public domain — most recently, works from 1930 entered on January 1, 2026.
The clock starts at the author's death, not at publication — so a 1980 work whose author dies in 2010 runs until 2080.
Nadia wants to republish a corporate-authored engineering textbook first published in the US in 1982, and compares it to an individually authored novel from the same year whose author died in 2020.
To check copyright status: enter the publication year and author type — the tool applies the 95-year rule, renewal logic for 1928–1977 works, and returns public-domain status, expiration year, and what you may legally do with the work.
FreeToolHub Public Domain Calculator is a free browser-based tool that checks whether a work is in the US public domain by publication year and author type, no signup.
Is that old movie, song or book in the public domain? Enter the year. Free, instant.
The US Copyright Public Domain Calculator answers one question: can you legally reuse a published work without permission? You supply the publication year and author type — individual (life plus 70 years), anonymous or pseudonymous, corporate, or work made for hire (95 years) — plus whether the work was published in the US and, for 1928-1977 publications, whether copyright was renewed in year 28. The engine then applies the correct US rule for that era and returns a status of public domain, in copyright, or unknown, along with the expiration year, years remaining, the exact rule applied, and separate lists of what you may do freely and what still needs permission.
Content creators building YouTube videos, podcasts, or print-on-demand products use it to confirm a photo, song, or film is safe to reuse before publishing. Teachers and course designers check whether older textbooks and illustrations can be copied into handouts. Archivists and researchers benefit from the renewal logic: a large share of works published between 1928 and 1963 were never renewed in year 28 and quietly entered the public domain, which this tool surfaces instantly. Etsy sellers and app developers verifying public-domain artwork before listing it avoid DMCA takedowns. Anyone digitizing family letters or local history materials can quickly sort what is protected from what is free.
(1) Enter the publication year and choose the author type. (2) Toggle whether the work was published in the US; for years 1928 through 1977 an extra switch appears asking whether copyright was renewed in year 28. (3) Click Check Copyright Status after the verification widget loads. The engine classifies the work: anything published before 1931 is public domain in 2026 regardless of author; renewed 1928-1977 works get 95 years for individuals or 120 for corporate authors; works from 1978 on follow 95 years from publication for corporate or for-hire authorship, while individual authorship returns an unknown status because the author's death date is required. (4) Review the rule applied and the permissions lists.
When the tool returns public domain, its You May list spells out your rights: reproduce the work, distribute copies, modify it, sell derivative products, and perform it publicly. A 1930 film can be recut, scored, and resold; a pre-1931 illustration can anchor a T-shirt line with no license. Works still in copyright show the opposite list — reproduction, distribution, public performance, and derivative works require permission — with fair use for commentary, criticism, or parody as the narrow exception, plus library and research access. The result card also notes that works from 1930 entered the US public domain on January 1, 2026. This is an estimate based on publication-date rules, not legal advice; consult a copyright attorney before commercial use.
Enter the publication year and author type. Works published before 1931 are public domain in 2026; most works published 1928–1977 needed renewal in year 28, and a large share never renewed — the calculator applies these era-specific rules automatically.
Works published in 1930 entered the US public domain on January 1, 2026, following the 95-year rule for corporate and for-hire authorship.
In the US, yes for published works — copyright has expired. Sound recordings have separate rules, and foreign works restored by treaties can still be protected despite early publication dates.
Reproduce, sell, modify, and publicly perform the work with no permission or payment — recut a 1930 film, print pre-1931 art on merchandise, or sample restored audio. Trademark and personality rights can still apply separately.
For US works: anything published before 1929 is public domain. Works from 1929-1977 are protected for 95 years from publication if copyright was renewed. Post-1978 works last for the author's life plus 70 years. Enter the publication year and type (book, film, song) to get an instant determination.
Yes. Public domain works have no copyright restrictions—you can reproduce, adapt, and sell them commercially without permission or royalties. However, a specific new recording or edition may carry its own copyright. The underlying composition of a 1920 song is free, but a 2023 orchestral recording of it is not.
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