Currently Public Domain
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Published in U.S. before —
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What's in the Public Domain in 2026?

Works published in the U.S. before 1931 are now in the public domain — free to download, repackage, and use commercially. Works published 1928–1963 may be protected if the copyright was renewed (check copyright.gov). Works created after January 1, 1978 are protected for 70 years after the author's death.

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Download Repositories

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Project Gutenberg

gutenberg.org
The gold standard for public domain books. 70,000+ free ebooks in every format (EPUB, Kindle, HTML, plain text). Search by topic, author, or browse Top 100.
BooksSearch
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Internet Archive

archive.org
Massive digital library with millions of public domain books, films, music, and software. Includes free PDF/EPUB downloads and full-text search.
BooksFilmMusic
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UPenn Digital Library

digital.library.upenn.edu
University of Pennsylvania's digital collection of public domain books organized by category. Includes rare and out-of-print works.
Books
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AbeBooks

abebooks.com
Large book marketplace with extensive PD listings. Filter by publication date — search for books from 1930 or before to find public domain works.
BooksSearch
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Alibris

alibris.com
Used and rare book marketplace. Search by keyword and year to locate public domain titles. Filter results to 1930 or before.
BooksSearch
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Ibiblio

ibiblio.org
Public library of the internet maintained by UNC Chapel Hill. Hosts books, music, software, and other public domain content freely available.
BooksMusicSoftware
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LibriVox

librivox.org
Free public domain audiobooks recorded by volunteers. Thousands of titles available for free download in MP3. Perfect for repurposing as audio content.
AudioBooks
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Library of Congress

loc.gov/collections
Millions of photos, maps, prints, and historical documents. Many items are in the public domain and available for free high-resolution download.
ImagesGov
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Wikimedia Commons

commons.wikimedia.org
Massive free media repository hosting millions of public domain images, sounds, and video files with clear license information on every item.
ImagesMusicFilm
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NYPL Digital Collections

digitalcollections.nypl.org
Over 900,000 items from the New York Public Library. Historical photos, maps, menus, posters, and more — many fully in the public domain.
Images
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LOC WWI Collection

loc.gov/collections/world-war-i
Library of Congress WWI era photographs, posters, and documents. All pre-1928 works are in the public domain and available for free high-res download.
ImagesGov
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NYPL WWII Posters

digitalcollections.nypl.org
New York Public Library WWII poster collection. Digitized propaganda and public information posters in the public domain, free to download in high resolution.
Images
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Mutopia Project

ibiblio.org/mutopia
Free sheet music for classical, baroque, and folk compositions. All in the public domain, available as PDF and LilyPond source files.
Music
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PDInfo Music

pdinfo.com
Searchable directory of public domain songs and compositions. Useful for finding background music for videos and other commercial projects.
Music
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IMSLP / Petrucci Library

imslp.org
The world's largest public domain sheet music library. 600,000+ scores by 20,000+ composers — Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and more — all free to download as PDF.
Music
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National Archives (NARA)

nara.gov
US National Archives. Government-produced films, historical footage, and records are in the public domain. Great source for documentary footage.
FilmGov
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BuyOut Footage

buyoutfootage.com
Royalty-free and public domain historical footage for commercial licensing. Includes newsreels, educational films, and stock footage.
Film
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USA.gov

usa.gov
Portal to all US government resources. All content produced by federal agencies is in the public domain and freely available for any use.
Gov
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GovInfo (GPO)

govinfo.gov
US Government Publishing Office portal. Federal documents, Congressional records, and official publications — all in the public domain.
Gov
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OSU Gov Docs Browser

library.okstate.edu
Browse US government publications by topic through Oklahoma State University's curated government documents collection.
Gov
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US Copyright Office

copyright.gov
Official US Copyright Office. Search the copyright registration database to verify if a 1928–1963 work had its copyright renewed (look for "RE" in the registration number).
CopyrightSearch
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Copyright Records (COHM)

copyright.gov/records/cohm.html
Catalog of Copyright Entries online — search to verify if a work published 1928–1963 was renewed. If not renewed, it's in the public domain.
CopyrightSearch
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Creative Commons

creativecommons.org
Find works licensed for free reuse. Creative Commons licenses are different from public domain but many allow commercial use. Check the specific license type before using.
Copyright
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LoC Research & Reference

loc.gov/rr
Library of Congress Research and Reference Services. Deep research resources for verifying copyright status and locating rare public domain materials.
CopyrightBooks
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Open Source Initiative

opensource.org
OSI-approved open source licenses for software. Many open source projects can be freely used, modified, and distributed commercially.
SoftwareCopyright
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Featured Public Domain Books

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Classic self-help, philosophy, and business books — all in the public domain. Click through to find free downloads.

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U.S. Public Domain Reference Chart

Publication Period Status Notes
Before 1928 ✅ Public Domain All works published before 1928 are in the public domain.
1928–1930 ← Currently entering PD ✅ Public Domain Works from these years entered the public domain Jan 1, 2026 (current year). Free to use!
1928–1963 ⚠️ Verify First May be protected if copyright was renewed. Check copyright.gov records. If not renewed → Public Domain. Most were NOT renewed.
1964–1977 🔒 Protected Automatically renewed under Copyright Act of 1976. Protected for 95 years from publication.
Jan 1, 1978 – present 🔒 Protected Protected for author's life + 70 years. No registration required since 1989.
U.S. Government Works ✅ Public Domain All works created by U.S. federal government employees in their official duties are in the public domain.