Public Domain

An artwork in Public Domain is for free: No royalties need to be paid to use it as it is or to create copies or variations of it.

A copyrighted artwork means that its creators deserve being paid for if it is performed by others or recorded by others. In popular music the common case of such usage is done by so-called Cover Bands. They have to pay royalties to be allowed to play the songs created by their favourite composers whose works they are covering as specific repertoire.

After the 70th full year's December 31 after the last death of one of an artwork's creators it gets out of Copyright and into Public Domain. Other licenses follow the same rule. Exception can be given by law like the law giving indefinite copyright protection of the novel "Peter Pan".