Is a collection of public domain pieces copyrighted?
<p>Context: there is a collection of public domain work (example A: collection of poems; example B: collection of classical music), let's say "50 most ... X".</p>

<p>Any annotation, organisation, etc. (including arrangement, typography) is under copyright protection for this anthology, without question.</p>

<p>My question is: is the collection <em>itself</em>, i.e., which 50 pieces of something are together, copyrighted?</p>

<p>More concrete question: am I allowed to create a different publication, with different annotations, but with the same 50 pieces of something without infringing copyright?</p>

<p>"am I allowed to create a different publication, with different annotations, but with the same 50 pieces of something without infringing copyright?"</p>

<p>Generally speaking, yes, so long as your collection is not derived from any copyrighted material.</p>

<p>The hardest question would be whether the selection or order of the 50 pieces would have copyright protection, but generally speaking, a list that short would not as the list itself is insufficiently original to constitute a copyrightable work of its own.</p>

copyright