Could someone please give me a few details on Puiblic Domain. Such as how do things become part of the Public Domain and where do they get the copies that in public domain to use?

All I know about Public Domain, is that is why It's a Wonderful Life plays so much at Christmas time. Because it was public domain so every tv station ran it.

Thanks

All I know about Public Domain, is that is why It's a Wonderful Life plays so much at Christmas time. Because it was public domain so every tv station ran it.

It's a Wonderful Life has never been in the public domain.

Link (http://www.film-center.com/canishow.html)

Interesting, so interpretation of public domain caused people to cite IAWL as pd, and use it as such, but then new interpretation of the law, probably better to say, looking further into the law created the realiziation that it is not pd. Did I interpret that right?

The article did make me even more fuzzy on pd than I was before. Which is why I asked the question.

What exactly is public domain and it's laws/rules.guidelines.

It just doesn't seem right that it just no longer belongs to whoever owned it in the first place.

This might help

Link (http://www.copyright.cornell.edu/public_domain/)