(CNN) The particularities of copyright law may not seem like the most fascinating of subjects, but if you like good movies, literature, art and poetry -- especially it when they're easy to find and possibly even free -- then you'll want to hear this.

As of January 1, tens of thousands of works from 1923 have been released into the public domain from creators like Charlie Chaplin, Cecil B. DeMille, Louis Armstrong, Bela Bartok, Agatha Christie and e.e. cummings.

What does it mean to be in the public domain? In short, it means no one holds the copyright to the work, so it can be broadcasted, consumed, remixed or re-imagined without having to pay royalties to a copyright holder.

This opens the door for all kinds of nifty things:

Public domain books, for instance, are often offered for free on e-readers (here's a good list of some new public domain freebies).

Movies in the public domain can be more easily broadcast on television and distributed more widely.

Public domain music can be used for background tracks on your YouTube vlogs.

Books, poems and works of art can be used for educational purposes, and poems can be, say, set to music.

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