Official term
No Copyright: United States
The institution has determined that the work is free of copyright under United States law; copyright may still apply elsewhere.
Version 1.0
Open the official termFor visitors
The work is free of copyright in the United States. Reuse elsewhere may be governed by a different copyright term.
Museum practice
These readings describe how the Museum normally presents, studies, publishes, and cares for a lawfully acquired work. The exact rights record, artist agreements, and applicable law continue to govern each object.
- Display the work
Ordinary museum practice
The work may be displayed in the United States on the stated copyright record, subject to contract and other rights. Foreign presentations receive a jurisdiction check.
- Publish online
Contextual museum use
The Museum may publish a collection page with the United States limitation stated plainly. Global delivery and downloadable files receive a jurisdiction-aware review.
- Publish in print
Contextual museum use
United States scholarship and print reproduction may proceed on the copyright record. Worldwide distribution receives a foreign-rights check.
- Make preservation copies
Ordinary museum practice
Preservation and migration may proceed on the United States copyright record, subject to contract and other non-copyright restrictions.
- Share an adaptation
Contextual museum use
Adaptation is generally available in the United States on copyright grounds. Publication elsewhere receives a jurisdiction and other-rights review.
- Make commercial use
Contextual museum use
Commercial reuse may proceed in the United States on the copyright record, subject to other rights. It should never be described as worldwide public domain.
What the Museum can do
- Communicate a US-specific public-domain determination without presenting it as a worldwide conclusion.
Conditions
- Base the statement on an actual US copyright-status review.
What remains outside the term
- A person outside the United States must consider the law where the reuse occurs, and the statement is not intended for orphan works.
Exact English legal code
This entry is a status, mark, or case description rather than a public license. Its official definition is linked above.