What is in the public domain, always, besides ideas?

Okay, so we’ve seen that pretty much any type of work may be protected by copyright in the US, provided that it’s original (not copied) and is minimally creative. The creativity bar isn’t high — it has nothing to do with artistic merit. Now let’s take a look at the things no one may copyright, ever. Believe it or not, there are some. (Actually, it’s a pretty big list.)

What can’t you copyright?

While the safe course is to assume that every creative work you encounter is protected by copyright ... you should also know what types of works, and what parts of otherwise protected works, are not copyrightable. There are elements, even in copyrighted works, that are free for all to use.

And with that, here’s a list of what’s not eligible for United States copyright: