The general rule is that once a work enters the public domain upon expiration of a copyright, both the work and its title can be freely used by others.  According to the law, exclusive right to the use of the title of the work is not given to the owner of the copyright in a literary or musical work.  Title headings and article headings used in statutory compilations are only descriptions.  They do not have separate value distinct from the articles which they describe and therefore not copyrightable.