Public-domain text

Unrestricted digital text: the global library of works (like *Moby Dick*) where copyright has expired, enabling free use and technological reuse.

Public-domain text comprises creative works (e.g., all of Shakespeare) where exclusive intellectual property rights have expired or were waived. This is a critical technological resource: it allows for unrestricted copying, modification, and distribution, even for commercial purposes, without permission. Platforms like Project Gutenberg, founded in 1971, have digitized over 60,000 titles, providing raw, clean data for large-scale text analysis, AI training models, and the creation of new derivative works. Jurisdiction is key: a work public in the U.S. (pre-1927) may still be under copyright elsewhere.

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