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PUBLIC DOMAIN

TheLaw.com Law Dictionary & Black's Law Dictionary 2nd Ed.

Intellectual property, such as a creative work, invention or logo that is not or no longer protected by copyright and available to be used without permission or authorization from its owner. This will frequently occur after the expiration of a copyright, patent or trademark. Something that is shared with and owned and freely used by the community for public purposes and cannot be acquired by any individual or private entity. See also res universitatis.

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