Works are in the public domain if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all, if the intellectual property rights have expired,and/or if the intellectual property rights are forfeited.Examples include the English language, the formulae of Newtonian physics, the works of Shakespeare and Beethoven, and the patents on powered flight.In a general context public domain may refer to ideas, information, and works that are "publicly available", but in the context of intellectual property law, which includes copyright, patents, and trademarks, public domain refers to works, ideas, and information which are intangible to private ownership and/or which are available for use by members of the public