It's Not Stealing If It's Free (Or, The Public Domain & How To Use It)

ONE DAY, NONE OF THIS WILL BE OURS

As much as they love to innovate, Hollywood also often seems to be content with "playing it safe" when it comes to new projects. But the result of sticking with what's familiar isn't just limited to churning out endless sequels, prequels, and spinoffs.

They're also quick to jump on hot Intellectual Property when they can get the rights (like bestselling YA book series for example) as they figure that material already has a following and they're banking on those followers to trail it all the way to the box-office.

But what not everyone knows is that there is a dragon's hoard sized treasure of creative material just waiting to be picked up. And it's absolutely free.

What I'm talking about are works of literature written so long ago that they are no longer under copyright and therefore fair game for anyone willing to adapt them.

These pieces fall under what is called the Public Domain. This means that every book (or almost every book -- there are always exceptions) penned before 1923 is now floating out in the aether of inspirational material and can be picked up by anyone.

Examples of works in the public domain include Sherlock Holmes, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Peter Pan, Tarzan, Cinderella, Robin Hood, The Little Mermaid, the creations of Shakespeare, The Brother's Grimm, Charles Dickens, and literally thousands more.

Why do you think we keep getting so many reboots? 'Cause we can.

There is one danger of utilizing the Public Domain, however, and that is the complications arising from "Edited Material". By which I mean, while the main story and characters may be free to take and make your own, you have to be really, really careful not to accidentally absorb the creative inventions of another writer whose work is copyrighted.

Example: While a good deal of the original Sherlock Holmes stories are in the Public Domain, some of them aren't. So if you accidentally use a character from one of the tales that isn't in the Public Domain, that might be considered stealing, even if the rest of your work is totally original. (Well, as original as it can be given the circumstances)

It can get a little fuzzy sometimes, and it's always a good idea to look into what you're planning to adapt. But don't be afraid to take someone else's great idea and let it inspire a great idea of your own. If you're lucky, one day someone might want to emulate you.

(Great source of Public Domain material: https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/public-domain)