Project Gutenberg: using its texts for an adaptation
Project Gutenberg: books not restricted by U.S. copyright law, usually because the term has expired. Its licence also governs use of the Project Gutenberg trademark. As of 2026-09-25.
Project Gutenberg distributes books that are not restricted by U.S. copyright law, usually because the U.S. term has expired, and a smaller set whose authors gave permission.
Its licence tells readers outside the United States to check their own country's laws before copying, distributing or making derivative works, and it also governs use of the Project Gutenberg trademark.
For an adaptation, that means the text may be usable in the U.S. and still protected elsewhere.
1From the library's own pages
books not restricted by U.S. copyright laws, usually because any period of restriction under U.S. law has expired
Project Gutenberg, license page
the use of the Project Gutenberg trademark
Project Gutenberg, license page
If you are outside the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this agreement
Project Gutenberg, license page
- License explainedBooks not restricted by U.S. copyright law, usually because the term has expired
- License explainedIts licence also governs use of the Project Gutenberg trademark
- Full licenseReaders outside the United States are told to check their own country's laws
2The three libraries
| Library | Why texts are free | Own terms | Outside the U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Gutenberg | Books not restricted by U.S. copyright law, usually because the term has expired | Its licence also governs use of the Project Gutenberg trademark | Readers outside the United States are told to check their own country's laws |
| Standard Ebooks | Texts and cover art believed to be in the U.S. public domain | Its own work dedicated to the public domain, so each ebook file is public domain | Not stated on the page read |
| Wikisource | Hosted works must be free to use for any purpose, commercial included | Contributions released under CC BY-SA 4.0 and the GFDL | Not stated on the page read |
Inclusion rule. Libraries whose own terms pages were read. Order. The order they are listed in on this site.
A text being free is one question; a particular edition being free is another. Modern introductions, notes, translations and cover art can carry their own rights even when the original book does not.
3Turning the book into episodes
Once the rights in “Project Gutenberg” are settled, SceneMixer describes the adaptation itself like this:
SceneMixer turns a novel into a watchable short-drama series in one pipeline: upload the novel (Chinese or English) → AI extracts characters, scenes, and an episode-by-episode structure → generates consistent character and scene art → writes storyboard scripts → renders video segment by segment (16:9 by default, 9:16 in one setting) → composites full episodes.
SceneMixer, Turn a Novel into a Video Series with AI (read 2026-10-13)
The lines are re-heard and written in the language your project is set to, and the finished episode is spoken by the voices attached to your own characters.
SceneMixer, How to Remake a Video with AI — “Can I remake something in a different language?” (read 2026-10-13)
4Other libraries
Check the term where you live: copyright terms.