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Public Domain Content- Should you give attribution to the source?

by yourreviewer
1 replies
Hello folks,
I am trying to work on a bonus report and I stumbled upon a Public Domain Content from Government website that reads, "This publication is not copyrighted. We encourages users of this brochure to duplicate and distribute as many copies as desired."

1. Now can I simply copy and paste the content from this source and present it as a Bonus Report to my readers?

2. Should I attribute the source from where I got the content? I don't want my readers to get the feeling that this report is of no worth because it can be found free. Have folks just used public domain content and not mention the actual source?

Kindly advise.

Thanks,
Dan
#attribution #content #domain #give #public #source
  • Profile picture of the author Dennis Gaskill
    Some public domain property does have the stipulation that, while it's free to republish, you are required to cite the source. I don't know if what you posted was the only thing said about republishing the content or not, but you'll want to be sure there are no other stipulations.

    You can't claim copyrights on public domain content, but you can't mislead people either. It's my understanding that if you're publishing the public domain content within a publication that you do claim the copyrights on, then you have to disclose the portion that is public domain.

    One idea to get around that is to add value to the public domain content by adding new content and rewriting at least 50% of it (for clarity and better readability, for example), and then claim the copyrights on your new version.
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    Just when you think you've got it all figured out, someone changes the rules.

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