The Center For the Study of the Public Domain @DukeCSPD

Today we’d like to highlight the Duke Law School site, the Center for the Study of the Public Domain. There’s a lot to look at and enjoy here.  The “About Us” page at the Center notes that “The public domain is the realm of material—ideas, images, sounds, discoveries, facts, texts—that is unprotected by intellectual property rights and free for all to use or build upon. Our economy, culture and technology depend on a delicate balance between that which is, and is not, protected by exclusive intellectual property rights. Both the incentives provided by intellectual property and the freedom provided by the public domain are crucial to the balance. But most contemporary attention has gone to the realm of the protected.”

The Center offers information about resources in the area, events, and original works, including a very intriguing comic called Bound By Law: Tales From the Public Domain, a guide for documentary filmmakers who need assistance navigating the complicated world of copyright. Other offerings include Theft: A History of Music Comic  (tracing borrowings in music over 2000 years) and an open IP casebook from James Boyle and Jennifer Jenkins. Check out this very interesting resource!