Copyright 2005 Jim Edwards

Did you know that literally millions of pages of content exist out on the Internet that you can legally use (some would even say "swipe") to put content on your website?

It's true!

In fact, "public domain" material can form the basis for ebooks, articles, blog content and even autoresponder email messages.

So if you need content for your website, this article may hold the key to discovering an avalanche of available material requiring you to write very little (if any) of it yourself.

"Public Domain" refers to any intellectual work that does not carry copyright protection.

Works like books, magazines, articles, music, and film fall into the public domain in one of several ways: their copyright expired; they were donated to the public domain; they are not eligible for copyrighted status.

In the United States, that means any work published before 1923 falls into the public domain.

Any work published between 1923 and 1963 that did not have its copyright renewed in the 28th year falls in the public domain.

So the copyright owner of a work first copyrighted in 1950 would have had to renew that copyright by 1978 in order to retain their rights.

Some legal experts estimate that as much as 80% of works published in the period between 1923 and 1963 never renewed their copyright.

Now, you may wonder, "What does this have to do with me?" Well, in a nutshell, it means you can get access to an avalanche of content without creating it yourself or paying someone else to create it for you.

Check out these websites for additional information on how and where to find public domain material.

http://www.PDRiches.com - Offers an entire course on how to identify, use, and profit from works in the public domain. The creator of the course specifically teaches how to find and repackage public domain information for profit on the Internet.

http://www.pdinfo.com - A website dedicated to public domain music topics which offers a number of resources, a list of 3,500+ songs in the public domain, and a brief tutorial specifically on using musical works in the public domain.

http://www.unc.edu/~unclng/public-d.htm - Offers a concise summary chart of the dates involved with determining if a work falls into the public domain.

http://www.CopyRight.gov - the U.S. Government site that offers a complete guide to copyright and copyright issues. Also includes a searchable database to determine if a work's copyright was renewed.

Using public domain materials does not, however, come without a degree of risk.

If you choose to use a public domain work in your writing, website, blog, autoresponder or other work, you must ensure that the work does fall into the public domain.

As with any matter involving the law, consulting an attorney if you are at all unsure about whether a work falls into the public domain rates an excellent idea to avoid trouble.

But, if done correctly, the use of public domain materials creates an excellent opportunity to share valuable information with a worldwide audience using the new communication mediums only the Internet can provide.