Films In The Public Domain

[smearbrick1]

I was recently on Archive.org and noticed that "Night Of The Living Dead" is in the public domain. What does this mean exactly? There are 40 some odd versions of this movie on DVD, all released by different companies. Is it safe to say that anyone can get a copy of this movie, slap it on a disc, and sell it?

I guess I really just don't understand the whole idea of "public domain".

Please explain.

Thanks...

[Krispy Kritter]

Public domain means it is free for your use. It CANNOT be sold.

[winifreid]

I think it can be sold, just as Shakespeare can be sold.

[adam]

If its in the public domain it means the copyright has either lapsed or been dedicated to the public. You can essentially do whatever you want with the unaltered content, including selling it.

But if you want to alter it then you may still need permission from the former copyright holder or their heirs because moral rights in works of art never end. For example if you wanted to edit an old public domain children's cartoon to make it look like the characters are engaging in lewd acts, you probably couldn't do that without express permission.