What does the term Public Domain mean?
From the time a piece of music is created, it is protected by copyright. Once a piece of music has existed beyond the copyright protection period, that piece of music is considered to be in the Public Domain. The international laws governing copyright are the Berne Convention and the Universal Copyright Convention. Under the Berne Convention, copyright extends for the life of the composer plus a minimum of 50 years following his or her death. Most of the world’s industrial countries have signed the Berne Convention and comply with it – although all countries have their own copyright laws which may extend the copyright period for an additional number of years. In fact, many countries have extended this copyright term to a period of 70 years following the death of the composer. If you are intending to use a piece of music that is in the Public Domain, make sure that you check the Copyright Laws in all countries where the production will be used to make sure that your use conforms to the
