ARCHIVAL VIDEO

What is “public domain”?

Footage generally falls into public domain because it was created by an entity not subject to copyright (like most of the US Government), or the copyright has expired. You can check the 2015 US Public Domain and Copyright Term for current laws governing when copyright expires. If you’re new to public domain film, here’s a brief introduction courtesy of Pond5.

Check out Pond5's public domain project for free video.

The US Library of Congress’s catalogue of public domain media.