Works made by US federal employees for their jobs are public domain from the start: NASA photos, USGS maps, NOAA data, military manuals, federal reports.
| Where | Status |
|---|---|
| United States | Long free |
Limits
Not state or city works (rules vary), not contractors' work, and NASA's logo and astronaut likenesses have usage rules. Outside the US the status can differ.
Ideas
Space wallpapers, maps, data dashboards, survival and cooking manuals.
Sources
Checked 31 October 2026. Report a correction.
More other
-
New in 2026Australia's first new public domain in 20 yearsAuthors who died in 1955 · 1955 · Other
Australia moved from life+50 to life+70 in 2005 without reviving expired works, so nothing new entered for twenty years. On 1 January 2026 works by authors who died in 1955 became free there, and Trove opened 1955 newspapers.
Australia 2026 -
EarlierUnrenewed US books, 1929 to 1963Thousands of authors · 1963 · Other
US works published before 1964 needed a copyright renewal after 28 years. Most were never renewed, so a large share of mid-century US books, magazines and pulp stories are already public domain.
US 1992
General information, not legal advice. Copyright, patent and trademark status differs by country, edition and translation: check before you publish or sell. Full disclaimer