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Dictionary of Public Domain Terms

Public domain Woodworking (free Woodworking) can be difficult to understand at times.  In order to help you make sense of the complex laws surrounding Woodworking copyrighting, here is a short glossary of terms.

Copyright:  A copyright is a legal protection for original works such as Woodworking to protect the author and prevent other people from making use of the material for non-authorized purposes.  Currently, all original work is copyrighted as soon as at least one copy is published to the general public.  Not all copyrighted Woodworking will state the copyright information on it, but that doesn’t mean that it is not copyrighted.

Copyright Renewal:  For a number of years, it was required to officially renew a piece of Woodworking’s copyright to avoid having it become public domain or free Woodworking.  Many pieces of Woodworking entered the public domain when the original author failed to renew their copyrights.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA):  This is a law put into effect in 1998 to extend copyright laws to keep up with the technological advances associated with the internet.

Fair Use:  Fair use laws are intended to help protect users who are making use of copyrighted material in certain circumstances (such as for educational purposes).

Public Domain:  If Woodworking is said to be in the public domain, then it is available for use as free Woodworking and does not require any royalties or other fees to be paid in order to use it.  Public domain Woodworking can be copied, sold, performed, recorded, and modified without permission or payment to the original author.