Thanks for pointing out public domain exceptions. In the US copyright limits all works after 1978 are 75 years for author, 95 to 120 years (thanks to Disney) for anonymous or for-hire work. Everywhere else the limits are much lower. I'm strictly amateur so all my fiction is public domain, free for anyone to use, abuse or mangle at will, for all eternity. I know of at least one case where someone else wrote a sequel to one of my stories. It wasn't my style but not bad. I am pragmatic in recognizing my writing is not up to commercial standards, no one will ever pay for it, so I'm in it only for the enjoyment of churning out turgid prose to the unsuspecting masses.
As for publishing elsewhere, public domain is just that, anyone can use the stories anywhere they choose. I think it's tacky to charge for something acquired for free, so if my stories appear on a fee-based site I urge readers to boycott. Otherwise, yeah it would be nice to know if I show up on a website but it's not a requirement.
Oh yeah, in a few cases I've caught people sticking their own name on my stories, without even changing the title. For would be plagiarists, Google is NOT your friend.
Jack Peacock