Click here to see common reasons a file might be in the public domain
*The image was published before 1929, and was created by an author who died more than 70 years ago → please use {{PD-old-auto-expired|deathyear=...}} with year of author's death included.
The image was published in the US before 1929 → please use {{PD-US-expired}}.
The image is out of copyright in the US and was created by an author who died more than 100 years ago → please use {{PD-old-100}} along with an applicable US public domain tag.
The image was created by US government employee as part of their official duties → please use one of the PD-USGov license tags.
The Public Domain Mark was applied by the copyright holder to the work → please use {{PD-author-FlickrPDM}}.
Please read each license template's terms before applying. See more examples here and here.
Reasons why Public Domain Mark (PDM) is not acceptable
Unlike CC0 or the other Creative Commons licenses, the Public Domain Mark is not a legal instrument; there is no accompanying legal code or agreement. Instead, the Public Domain Mark is a tool that allows anyone to mark a work that they believe to be free of known copyright restrictions. However, it does not say why the image is in public domain and this part has to be added by the user.
The tools also differ in terms of their effect when applied to a work. CC0 is legally operative in the sense that when it is applied, it changes the copyright status of the work, effectively relinquishing all copyright and related or neighboring rights worldwide. PDM is not legally operative in any respect – it is intended to function as a label, marking a work that is already free of known copyright restrictions worldwide.
With this announcement Flickr users will be able to choose from among our six standard licenses, our public domain dedication, and they will also be able to mark others' works that are in the public domain.
