The following list gives the current copyright situation in various countries, briefly describing which works are considered in the public domain in each country. This is useful for determining whether a work can be freely used in Wikipedia or not. Please see Wikipedia:Public domain for more information on the "public domain".
Keep in mind that any work first published before 1927 is considered in the public domain in the United States, regardless of the work's copyright status in its country of origin. Also, note that countries may change their copyright laws at any time, and these laws may or may not be retroactive to works previously in the public domain. Some countries may follow the rule of the shorter term for foreign works (notably the EU and Japan); others may not (e.g. the U.S.). And in general, a work may be in the public domain in one country but still be copyrighted in other countries.