Copyright law safeguards original works of authorship, providing creators with exclusive rights to control how their work is used and distributed. This protection extends to a wide range of creative expressions, from literary and musical works to artistic and audiovisual creations.
What Does Copyright Protect?
Copyright protects the expression of ideas, not the ideas themselves. This means that while you can’t copyright a general concept like “a love story,” you can copyright the specific plot, characters, and dialogue in your novel.
Commonly Protected Works:
- Literary Works: Books, articles, poems, scripts, software code
- Musical Works: Songs, compositions, sheet music
- Dramatic Works: Plays, screenplays, dance routines, choreography
- Pictorial, Graphic, and Sculptural Works: Paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, graphic designs, architecture
- Audiovisual Works: Movies, television shows, video games, online videos
- Sound Recordings: Music recordings, audiobooks, podcasts
Key Copyright Rights
Copyright owners generally have the exclusive right to:
- Reproduce: Make copies of the work
- Distribute: Sell, rent, or lend copies of the work
- Perform: Publicly perform the work
- Display: Publicly display the work
- Create Derivative Works: Adapt the work into new forms
