File:Italian traffic signs - uscita obbligatoria.svg

This file shows or is part of a text of official act published and distributed by the Italian State or Italian public administration. According to Italian copyright law, this work is in the public domain in Italy unless the copyright has been reserved explicitly. §5 of Italian copyright law specifies that no copyright exists in such material: "The provisions of this Law shall not apply to the texts of official acts of the State or of public administrations, whether Italian or foreign."

This work is in the public domain in the U.S. because it is an edict of a government, local or foreign. See § 313.6(C)(2) of the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices, 3rd ed. 2014 (Compendium (Third)). Such documents include "legislative enactments, judicial decisions, administrative rulings, public ordinances, or similar types of official legal materials." These do not include works first published by the United Nations or any of its specialized agencies, or by the Organization of American States. See Compendium (Third) § 313.6(C)(2) and 17 U.S.C. § 104(b)(5).

A non-American governmental edict may still be copyrighted outside the U.S. Similarly, the above U.S. Copyright Office Practice does not prevent U.S. states or localities from holding copyright abroad, depending on foreign copyright laws and regulations.