Works produced by employees of the [[Unitedஐக்கிய Statesஅமெரிக்கா]] federal government in the scope of their employment are public domain by statute. However, note that, despite popular misconception, the U.S. Federal Government can own copyrights that are assigned to it by others. As a general rule photographs on .mil and .gov sites are public domain. However there are some notable exceptions. Check the privacy and security notice of the website. It should also be noted that governments outside the U.S. often do claim copyright over works produced by their employees (for example, [[Crown Copyright]] in the [[United Kingdom]]). Also, most state governments in the Unitedஐக்கிய Statesஅமெரிக்கா do not place their work into the public domain and do in fact own the copyright to their work. Please be careful to check ownership information before copying.
