Copyright

This resource guide has information on copyright, using images, and sharing articles.

What is Public Domain?

Works that are in the public domain are not protected by copyright and can be reused, shared, copied, or adapted without permission. They belong to the public.

In Canada, works can enter the public domain if:

  • Copyright has expired. As of 2022, most* published works enter the public domain 70 calendar years after the death of the last surviving author. Prior to 2022, the copyright term was 50 years. Any works that entered the public domain before 2022, are still there. 

For example: John Steinbeck died in 1968. His works entered the public domain in Canada on January 1, 2019, and remain in the public domain. 

  • The author has waived their copyright. Authors can choose to place their work in the public domain, allowing the work to be used freely and without permission. One way they can do this is to assign a CC0 dedication through Creative Commons
  • They do not qualify for copyright protection. This includes materials lacking in originality or creativity such as data or facts. Ideas are not covered by copyright until they are expressed in a tangible format. For example, an idea for a research project is not covered by copyright, but a written research proposal is.

Public domain is determined by the laws of the country where the resource is used, not where it was published. A work may be in the public domain in one country but not in another. For example, A. A. Milne’s 1926 Winnie the Pooh stories entered the public domain in the United States in January 2022. These stories have been in the public domain in Canada since 2007 (Vermes, 2022).

*Note: The rule of 70 calendar years after the death of the last surviving author applies to most works, but there are some differences depending on the format of a work, who created it, and the date of publication. Use the University of Alberta's Flowchart to determine if a resource is in the public domain.

Public Domain vs Publicly Available

Public Domain vs. Publicly Available?

Nova Scotia Health, 2025.

Places to Find Public Domain Content

Some of the content on MedlinePlus is in the public domain. 

This includes:

Note: Not all MedlinePlus content is copyright free. Read their guide to Linking to and Using Content from MedlinePlus for more information.

Most information on the CDC website is in the public domain and can be freely used or reproduced without permission as long as you:

  • provide attribution
  • include a disclaimer that your use of the information does not imply endorsement by the CDC
  • do not make substantive changes to the content
  • state that the material is available free of charge on the website

For more information, read Use of Agency Materials. 

Note: Images other than those from the Public Health Image Library (PHIL) may not be free to use. Contact CDC for information / permission.

Many free-to-use image sites host photographs or graphics that are in the public domain, licensed CC0, or available under a similar open license. Visit the Using Images page of this guide for more suggestions.