On Feb 23 2007, Stephen Afande wrote:

> I'm also not a lawyer but the use of the Hardware Design Files in the 
> public domain depends on the license itself. They can be in the public 
> domain and still be subject to a license or other use restrictions (eg, 
> like books in a library).

But most books in an average library are not in the public domain. They are 
copyright works and as such can be protected by a copyright licence. Books 
usually have a notice near the front saying things like 'All rights 
reserved' and 'No part of this publication may be duplicated, stored in a 
retrieval syetem...' etc.

A work is only in the public domain if it is no longer subject to 
copyright, which may happen 70 years after the death of the author*, or if 
the author (or copyright holder) explicitly declares it to be placed in the 
public domain. (In the US works that failed to have a propper copyright 
attribution were automatically in the public domain, but that has now 
changed.)

* The publisher may retain copyright in the layout of the content 
(typesetting)
  but not to the content itself.

(PS. I am still not a lawyer...)


  Paul. 


Paul Fidler
-- 
Cambridge University Engineering Department | Tel: +44 1223 332816
Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1PZ, UK  | Fax: +44 1223 332662