Open Shelf

Copyright & public domain policy

Last updated: 2026-10-28

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Where the texts come from

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United States

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Other countries

Copyright terms differ by country. In the European Union, the United Kingdom, Türkiye and many other jurisdictions protection usually lasts for the life of the author plus 70 years, and translators and illustrators have terms of their own. We therefore check the death year of every contributor on the record. A work is labelled likely public domain worldwide only when all contributors died more than 70 years ago; otherwise it is labelled public domain in the United States and held for a human decision before its files are published here. These labels are our best assessment, not legal advice. If you are outside the United States, check the law where you live.

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