(Law) US lands owned by a state or by the federal government 2. public domain n 1. The condition of not being protected by a patent or copyright and therefore being available to the public for use without charge. Public domain definition, the status of a literary work or an invention whose copyright or patent has expired or that never had such protection. public domain n. 1. Public domain definition: If information is in the public domain , it is not secret and can be used or discussed by... | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples See more. Public domain definition The public domain is generally defined as consisting of works that are either not copyrighted ineligible for copyright protection or with expired copyrights. 1 : land owned directly by the government. A public-domain book is a book with no copyright, a book that was created without a license, or a book where its copyrights expired or have been forfeited. Land owned and controlled by the state or federal government. Definition of public domain. 2. 2 : the realm embracing property rights that belong to the community at large, are unprotected by copyright or patent, and are … Public domain refers to the total absence of copyright protection for work The public domain is a range of abstract materials commonly referred to as intellectual property which are not owned or controlled by anyone.