• A work with a known author for which the author died more than 50 years ago.
• A work of joint authorship for which the longest-lived of the joint authors died more than 50 years ago.
• An anonymous work that was first published more than 50 years ago, or an anonymous work that was not published and which was created more than 50 years ago.
• A collective work or a computer program that was first published more than 50 years ago.
• A collective work or a computer program that was not published and which was created more than 50 years ago.
• A photograph that was first published or publicly displayed more than 50 years ago.
• A photograph that was not published or publicly displayed and which was created more than 50 years ago.
• An audiovisual work that was first published or presented more than 70 years ago.
• An audiovisual work that was not published or presented and which was created more than 70 years ago.
• A phonogram (sound recording) that was created more than 50 years ago.

Important note: Works of foreign (non-U.S.) origin must be out of copyright or freely licensed in both their home country and the United States in order to be accepted on Commons. Works of Dominican origin that have entered the public domain in the U.S. due to certain circumstances (such as publication in noncompliance with U.S. copyright formalities) and which were under copyright in the Dominican Republic on January 1, 1996 may have had their U.S. copyright restored under the URAA.[1]

Sinun tulee myös lisätä Yhdysvaltain public domain -tägi ilmaistaksesi, miksi tämä teos on public domainissa Yhdysvalloissa. Huomaa, että tämä teos ei välttämättä ole public domainissa maissa, jotka eivät käytä lyhyimmän keston sääntöä ja joissa tekijänoikeuden kesto on 50 vuotta tekijän kuoleman jälkeen. Mainittaen, Meksikossa 100 vuotta, Jamaikalla 95 vuotta, Kolumbiassa 80 vuotta, Guatemalassa ja Samoassa 75 vuotta, Sveitsissä ja Yhdysvalloissa 70 vuotta ja Venezuelassa 60 vuotta.