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Question about Public Domain

by Robert Brauer
11 replies
Can I change the title of a public domain book but keep the content the same (I am planning on selling it)? Thanks!
#domain #public #question
  • Profile picture of the author Brenden Clerget
    If you have PLR rights to the book, you can normally do what you want. I'm not 100% sure on what public domain consists of, but wherever you got the book from should have information on what your rights are.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    Public domain is public domain, you can do most anything you want with it. You can retitle it, rewrite it, claim authorship, sell it, give it away.

    The thing is, there are ways you can use it that make you look bad. If you just claim authorship, for example, everyone that recognizes it will know you're not the author and you look like a phony. If you just retitle it without citing the former title, anyone who buys it that is familiar with the works will be disappointed to the say least, and may feel you have defrauded them by not disclosing the original works.

    You have to be very careful about your source of public domain too. Best to use the original source. If you use someone else's version of it there may be some aspects they could claim copyrights to.
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  • Profile picture of the author SteveSki
    Originally Posted by prophetmktg View Post

    Can I change the title of a public domain book but keep the content the same (I am planning on selling it)? Thanks!
    Yes you can but but the only thing you'll be able to copyright is any changes
    you make to the books content. The arrangement of any words you ad to the
    content can be copyrighted while the original wording is not.

    Cheers,
    Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author MeghanK
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      The Wizard of Oz is not yet in the public domain.

      Public domain isn't "opinion" - it's fact.
      Public domain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

      You can do what you want but there's good advice above saying make sure what you with public domain reflects well on you - otherwise, what's the point?

      kay
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      • Profile picture of the author Dan C. Rinnert
        Originally Posted by MeghanK View Post

        No.. You are not allowed to re-title the Wizard of Oz and pretend it's a different book. Then when the person buys it realizes they have been duped.
        You're right that people are going to feel ripped off if you re-title the book and try to sell it to them as something else. However, there's nothing that says that you cannot re-title it. You would just look like a fool if you did.
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        • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
          Originally Posted by Dan C. Rinnert View Post

          You're right that people are going to feel ripped off if you re-title the book and try to sell it to them as something else. However, there's nothing that says that you cannot re-title it. You would just look like a fool if you did.
          Right, and I mentioned a couple examples in my first post of why you need to careful about what you do with it. You can make yourself look bad, or make people mad, if you are simply a poser, but it's within your rights to be a poser if you choose.
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          • Profile picture of the author Kay King
            Meghan - I was wrong - sorry. It IS in the public domain - so those rights apply.

            I agree - definitely not a book I'd want to retitle and try to sell.:p
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    • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
      Originally Posted by MeghanK View Post

      No.. You are not allowed to re-title the Wizard of Oz and pretend it's a different book. Then when the person buys it realizes they have been duped.
      Meghan - this is from the US Copyright Office website:
      Where is the public domain?
      The public domain is not a place. A work of authorship is in the "public domain" if it is no longer under copyright protection or if it failed to meet the requirements for copyright protection. Works in the public domain may be used freely without the permission of the former copyright owner.
      Public domain is not under copyright protection. If it not protected, and can be used freely, you can pretty much do what you want with it.
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    • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
      Originally Posted by MeghanK View Post

      No.. You are not allowed to re-title the Wizard of Oz and pretend it's a different book. Then when the person buys it realizes they have been duped.
      Actually, you can do anything you want.

      And sometimes this is all kinds of awesome.

      Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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  • Profile picture of the author John Wilkes
    The main problem here is losing control of your new product. Someone could come along, change the title again and start reselling it. If you really are thinking of republishing a public domain work do it properly. Add some content of your own, like an introduction, perhaps some illustrations for which you own intellectual property rights. Enhance the book and at the same time change it enough that you will now own the copyright.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Wilkes
    CDarlock
    OMG! What a stunning concept! Thanks for that one, I got to find a copy.
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