Public Domain

Information in the public domain includes information that can be accessed by all individuals, and in which the author/contributor has given implicit or explicit permission for the information to be available.

Examples of information in the public domain include:

• published works (e.g., articles in newspapers, magazines);
• museum displays or artefacts (e.g., letters);
• knowledge or information on the web;
• annual reports of companies; or
• interviews that have been shown in recognized media forms.

Examples of information not in the public domain include:

• private letters;
• internal company memos or e-mails;
• information on company intranets;
• observing employees in a work situation; and
• internal documents describing the organization's strategy.