noun
orphan work
A copyrighted work whose owner cannot be identified or located. Used in legal and copyright contexts. Compare 孤児著作物, which is a synonym.
See also: 孤児著作物
孤児作品の利用には、文化庁の裁定が必要になる場合がある。
Using orphan works may require a ruling from the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Synonym; 孤児著作物 is also used in the same legal context, but 孤児作品 is more common.
Compound of 孤児 (orphan) and 作品 (work), calque of English 'orphan work'.