Andrew Rens reminds us of an important distinction. He starts by quoting James Boyle : “The term “commons” is generally used to denote a resource over which some group has access and use rights—albeit perhaps under certain conditions. … Some would say it is a commons only if the whole society has access. That is the view I will take here. The other difference between public domain and commons is the extent of restrictions on use. Material in the public domain is free of property rights. Y

Source:The difference between the public domain and the commons