Edition-level rights policy

1. The unit of review is an edition

A literary work may be old while a translation, introduction, annotation, illustration, cover, typography, recording, subtitle, or adaptation remains protected. Each component must be identified independently.

2. Jurisdiction is always visible

A provider’s “public domain in the USA” assessment is recorded as a United States basis. It is not silently expanded to Japan, China, Taiwan, or the rest of the world.

3. Catalog states

pd-source

At least one specific external edition has a reviewed free-source basis in a named jurisdiction. Link-only by default.

review

Some versions may be free, but edition-level evidence is not yet sufficient.

protected

Bibliographic metadata only. No full text, proxy, extraction, or reconstruction.

4. Local hosting gate

A future local edition requires its own manifest: exact source, retrieval date, source checksum, contributors, rights basis, jurisdiction, notices, permitted transformations, reviewer, review date, local checksum, and full build lineage.

5. Audio and video

Narration, voice systems, performance, music, sound effects, cover art, subtitles, timing data, images, animation, and generated assets are separate inputs. “Generated” does not mean “rights-free.” Every asset must remain traceable.

6. Default action under uncertainty

Link rather than mirror. Mark a lead as discovery rather than verified. Disable a disputed local asset first, investigate second, and preserve an audit trail of corrections.