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public domain
noun
1
: land owned directly by the government
2
: the realm embracing property rights that belong to the community at large, are unprotected by copyright or patent, and are subject to appropriation by anyone
Examples of public domain in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Flix is one of the largest libraries of public domain animation and live action and over the next year will be doubling the size of its library.
—Kansas City Star, 10 June 2024
If a song is completely created using AI, then that track is public domain, Joseph Fishman, a Vanderbilt law professor specializing in intellectual property, told Fortune.
—Rachel Ventresca, Fortune, 6 June 2024
Currently, Microsoft Teams only supports official Unicode emoji — the standardized array of public domain emoji supported by most smartphones and social media platforms.
—Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 21 May 2024
Spring is blooming Flowers are blooming just in time for National Walk to Work Day (April 5) (Credit: US Army photo, Rachel Larue, public domain, via Flickr Creative Commons).
—Bob Hirshon, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for public domain
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'public domain.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1819, in the meaning defined at sense 1
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Cite this Entry
“Public domain.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/public%20domain. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
Legal Definition
public domain
noun
public do·main
-dō-ˈmān
1
: land owned directly by the government
2
: the realm or status of property rights that belong to the community at large, are unprotected by copyright or patent, and are subject to appropriation by anyone
More from Merriam-Webster on public domain
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about public domain
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