public domain
UK /ˌpʌblɪk də(ʊ)ˈmeɪn/ · US /ˌpʌblɪk doʊˈmeɪn/ noun
- noun The state of not being owned by anyone, and thus freely usable by everyone.
- noun (specifically, law) The realm of intellectual property which is not or no longer protected by copyrights or patents, and thus over which no person can establish a proprietary interest. “As the copyright in this book has lapsed, it is now in the public domain.”
- noun The state of not or no longer being confidential or secret. “Very little information about the treaty is in the public domain.”
- noun (especially US) Land regarded as owned by the public, and not subject to a land patent or other forms of private ownership (for example, unowned prairie in the southwestern and western United States).
Etymology
From public (“able to be seen or known by everyone”) + domain (“field or sphere of activity, expertise, or influence”).
Sources: Wiktionary — from the Wiktionary entry “public domain”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details