Public Domain Day 2024
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Public Domain Day commemorates the moment when copyright expires on the first day of each year. Films, photographs, books and symphonies whose copyright has expired become common property. The end of copyright on these works means that they pass into the public domain. Educators, students, artists and amateurs can use them without authorisation or payment. Online archives can be digitised and made available in their entirety without the threat of legal action or licensing requirements.
Following the initiatives carried out in previous years by ANSOL, Wikimedia Portugal has taken over the organisation of the event in Portugal in recent years. In 2024, Wikimedia Portugal, the BNP and Wikimedia Spain are joining forces to celebrate the occasion, not only with the publication of the annual list of authors whose works enter the public domain, but also with an online event throughout the month of January.
In addition to this editing marathon, the entry of authors into the Public Domain will also be celebrated on two occasions:
- 1 January sees the release of the lists of Portuguese and Spanish authors whose works have entered the Public Domain.
- 5 January: Public Domain Day will be celebrated at the National Library of Portugal with various activities, including a workshop focused on Wikisource, the Wikimedia infrastructure's digital collection of books and source texts, which brings together works and documents in the public domain or made available under free licenses.
