Public domain ebooks can be freely copied and used without permission, including expired copyrights and waived or unenforceable rights. They can be downloaded, converted, distributed, shared, and adapted legally. Some authors use public domain as a promotional tool, and readers can access them through organizations that scan books.
Public domain ebooks are electronic books that members of the public can freely copy and use without seeking permission. This includes books with expired copyrights, as well as texts in which the copyright owner has chosen to waive rights or unenforceable rights. Numerous databases of public domain ebooks can be found online, and a variety of file formats can usually be found for use with different types of ereaders and computers.
Works can enter the public domain when their copyrights expire and the copyright holder no longer has the authority to determine who can use and distribute the work. This can also occur automatically with certain types of work, such as documents issued by a government; citizens can freely reproduce and distribute them without violating the law. Individual authors or copyright holders can also choose to place an ebook into the public domain and waive its copyright.
It is legal for users to download public domain ebooks, convert them into different file formats, distribute them, share them freely, and adapt them in creative work. For example, an author might produce an annotated version of a public domain ebook and distribute it as a new creative work. The author would not need to seek permission from the copyright holder or her estate, and could collect fees and royalties from the new work without having to pay taxes to the original copyright holder.
Some authors put their books into the public domain as a promotional tool. These authors argue that public domain ebooks reach more readers and can lead to sales. Readers might buy a hard copy, for example, or purchase other ebooks by the same author after enjoying a book they found in the public domain. Exposure may also lead to more work for the author, including lecture series and other events based on the book.
Readers can access public domain ebooks through organizations that scan public domain books and make them available for use. Many of these organizations focus on books with expired copyrights, often with an interest in promoting them to a new generation of readers. Such books do not have digital rights management (DRM) which would limit the way the reader interacts with them. Readers can freely transfer them between computers, give them to friends, make them available for upload to a website, and use them in other ways.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
