Bound by Law

I came across this gem this morning. It talks about works in the public domain and discussed how the current copyright law does pretty much the exact opposite of what it was intended for.

I've included a link to the free pdf. This book is actually published under limited creative commons use. It can be used in any way except for commercial purposes. That's why I'm able to include the pdf here and why I will use pages on this blog from time to time to hopefully allow you to better understand the public domain law, if that's even possible.

The cartoons treat this subject in an interesting way. I highly recommend you take time to read it. Be prepared to be entertained while you learn.

Bound by Law

That's What I'm Talking About!

Just came across this video entitled "Why Everybody Wins If Batman & Superman Are Public Domain". It ties in with some of what I've been saying.

Take public domain characters or books and rewrite them or spin them or whatever and they stay in the publics eye. Many people read or watch these spin offs and want to read the original story so they are up to date with what inspired the book or movie.

Makes sense, right? I watched The Raven on YouTube and then watched The Simpsons do a show using the story. I reread the original and, finding it hard to read because of the way books were written long ago, I retold the story in modern language and then ended up reading two more Poe tales and spinning all three in my own book.

I've received emails from some readers thanking me for turning them onto the classics and they told me they were reading more of Poe's tales and asked if I'd be modernizing them as well.

There are loads of books and movies and art that should not be forgotten and when we bring these public domain masterpieces into the new generation of readers, we keep them alive and possibly fire up the juices in the readers and they do the same.

Everyone Wins.

Alice in Wonderland

Are you aware that Alice in Wonderland is in the public domain?

Well it is and it gives me a chance to remind you of an important point. The original story is in the public domain and you can use it as it, or modify it or reference it to write a story of her further adventures, which has been done and likely will be done again. It's a good story.

So, what's the problem?

If you want to rewrite this book or continue her adventures, read the book! Read it. Take the time. You what might happen? Someone takes the easy way out and watches the Disney version. That version is copyright to Disney and there are story lines that are unique to their version and you could be violating copyright laws if you use their story and rewrite it.

Do not take the easy way out. Read the book  Same goes for any other book you might be considering using as your story line. Now, many times the original book is available in audio and that will work. Check YouTube as they have many audio books. Just be certain they are public domain.

Use these original public domain books for ideas but don't take shortcuts.

If you do, well, don't say you weren't warned.

Captain Marvel Jr

It just boggles my mind at times some of the things I come across searching through public domain materials. I had no idea there was a Captain Marvel Jr. Did you?

I've been finding so many characters I had no idea existed when searching old comic books. There's no reason why someone can't revise some of these characters and start a new series. Use the characters as they are or rename them. It doesn't even have to be a comic book. I've taken comic books and wrote books and used some of the comic panels in the book, changing the dialogue to fit my needs.

Does that give you and idea?

Jack Frost Cartoon

Here is an example of using public domain films. I downloaded this cartoon and then uploaded it to YouTube.  On the YouTube page I include a link to this blog in order to increase traffic.

Of course I made sure this was in the public domain.

Public Domain Comedy Break

I really don't have a clue what movie this scene was in. I'm thinking maybe Hercules but really not sure but this is an example of something I took from an old comic book that is in the public domain. I enhanced the picture.

I wish I could take credit for the line but it was a part of the clip and I had to share it.

Examples You Can Learn From

I've been asked a number of times. What's the best way to write a book using material from the public domain?

Kinda thought I've made that clear but let me show you some examples.

Go to FairyTaleMania.com. That's one of my websites. Take a look at the books listed on the site. Those are my books and you can probably tell they are written using fairy tales that are in the public domain.

Buy a book or two. Seriously. You want to learn? My books sell for a few bucks and they are an education if you want to do the same thing. Read them. Compare them to the tales you are familiar with. Learn from them and, if I say so myself, you'll get a kick out of reading them.

But be careful. Don't watch a Disney movie, for instance, that has taken a work from the public domain and redone it. Snow White is an example. Read the original tale and use that information and you're safe. Write a new tale using Disney's version and . . .  well . . . good luck.

If I was to recommend one of my books for you to use like you would use a schoolbook, I would recommend my Snow White story. Lots of characters from the public domain are mixed in and tales are woven throughout.

Here's another lesson for you. That book and the others I've written are copyright to me. Even though they use public domain material it's been changed considerably and is mine. You would not be able to use my material or new characters from it but you can still read the book and learn how to do the same thing yourself.

Public Domain Radio - The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger is one of about a gazillion radio series that have found their way into the public domain. OK, gazillion might be exaggerating but . . .

This brought back memories of when I was a kid and my grandpa would always listen to this on the radio. I know I'm dating myself but it is what it is.

Could you use old radio files to make money? Think of the possibilities.

The Lone Ranger

Public Domain TV Shows and Movies

There are plenty of movies and TV shows that have entered the public domain. Some of them from not too long ago.

Remember Dragnet? Enjoy this episode and realize that you can actually take these old shows and use them as you wish. Maybe on your website or possibly burn them onto a DVD and sell them on Ebay?

Or how about the popular One Step Beyond.

Public Domain - Dragnet

Public Domain - One Step Beyond

Be Careful

I've told you about Gutenberg. You can go there and use their public domain books in any way you like. A fantastic site and worth donating to.

But beware. There are sites out there that bring you public domain books but have a stipulation on their site that you need to beware of.

Bartleby.com is such a site. But be careful if you plan to do more than use the works here for personal use. They claim copyright on all of the content they provide.

Wait. What? It's public domain material. It is and if you find it on many other sites, dive in.

But Bartleby has a user agreement that warns you not to “modify, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale of, reproduce, create new works from, distribute, perform, display, or in any way exploit” any of its content.

Hmmmm. My advice is to enjoy the stuff they give you but find the text elsewhere if you want to use it commercially or on your own website or blog. Hey - They did the work digitizing material so you need to respect their rules.

Tales of Horror

Let's say you want to write and publish a horror story but you just can't come up with an idea. Not a problem.

Comic Books to the rescue.

Seriously. There are huge amounts of public domain comic books out there where you can easily read stories and rewrite them and publish them as a book. Comic Book Plus is a site where every comic book they have is verified in the public domain.

Go into a category you are interested in and start reading. You're sure to come up with new ideas to get you started writing your own book.

Here's an example of one of the covers.