Public domain (land)

Public domain (land)

Public domain is a term used to describe lands that were not under private or state ownership during the 18th and 19th centuries in the United States, as the country was expanding. These lands were obtained from the 13 original colonies, from Native American tribes, or from purchase from other countries. The domain was controlled by the federal government and sold to state and private interests through the auspices of the General Land Office. For most of the nation's early history, the government sought to promote settlement of the expanding frontier by selling off the public domain after it had been acquired. The authority for this came under laws such as the Homestead Act, the Timber and Stone Act, and the Morrill Act.

ee also

* Public land
* Eminent domain
* General Mining Act of 1872


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  • public domain — public do·main / dō mān/ n 1: land owned directly by the government 2: the realm or status of property rights that belong to the community at large, are unprotected by copyright or patent, and are subject to appropriation by anyone Merriam… …   Law dictionary

  • Public domain — This article is about public ownership of creative works. For use in relationship to public lands, see Public domain (land). For how the public domain applies to Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Public domain. Intellectual property law …   Wikipedia

  • Public domain — Domain Do*main , n. [F. domaine, OF. demaine, L. dominium, property, right of ownership, fr. dominus master, owner. See {Dame}, and cf {Demesne}, {Dungeon}.] 1. Dominion; empire; authority. [1913 Webster] 2. The territory over which dominion or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • public domain lands — Land or interest in land owned by the United States and administered by the Secretary of the Interior through the Bureau of Land Management. Compare: public domain Category: Real Estate & Rental Property Nolo’s Plain English Law Dictionary.… …   Law dictionary

  • public domain — public domain, adj. Law. 1. the status of a literary work or an invention whose copyright or patent has expired or that never had such protection. 2. land owned by the government. [1825 35, Amer.] * * * …   Universalium

  • public domain — noun property rights that are held by the public at large • Hypernyms: ↑property right * * * noun the public domain 1 : the state of something that is not owned by a particular person or company and is available for anyone to use The software has …   Useful english dictionary

  • public domain — 1. noun a) The feature of intellectual property being not protected under patent or copyright, i.e. no person or other legal entity can establish proprietary interests. , This book is in public domain b) Open land such as unowned prairie in the… …   Wiktionary

  • public domain — public land; lands that belong to the government; creative works that are available for public use because they are not copyrighted or patented …   English contemporary dictionary

  • public domain — Land and water in possession of and owned by the United States and the states individually, as distinguished from lands privately owned by individuals or corporations. See also public lands. Copyright law. Public ownership status of writings,… …   Black's law dictionary

  • in the public domain — Domain Do*main , n. [F. domaine, OF. demaine, L. dominium, property, right of ownership, fr. dominus master, owner. See {Dame}, and cf {Demesne}, {Dungeon}.] 1. Dominion; empire; authority. [1913 Webster] 2. The territory over which dominion or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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