What is copyright?

Under United States copyright law, protection is provided to the authors of “original works of authorship” if such works are fixed in a tangible or material form. This means that if you can see it, hear it and/or touch it, it may be protected. Copyright subsists from the moment the work is created in fixed form. It is illegal for anyone to violate any of the rights provided by the copyright law to the owner of the copyright.

The following categories of material, whether published or unpublished, may be subject to copyright protection:
(a)    literary works, such as books, journal articles, textbooks, laboratory manuals, lectures, or computer programs;
(b)    musical works, including any accompanying words;
(c)    dramatic works, including any accompanying music;
(d)    pantomimes and choreographic works;
(e)    motion pictures and other audiovisual works, such as films, video-tapes, videodiscs or multimedia works;
(f)    pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works;
(g)    sound recordings, such as audio tapes, audio cassettes, phono records or compact discs; and
(h)    architectural works.

Copyright protection does not cover the ideas or concepts embodied in a work, but rather the manner of expression. In general, since 1998, for works created after 1978 the term of the copyright is the life of the author plus 50 years, or in certain circumstances, the shorter of 75 years from the year of the first publication or 100 years from the year of creation.  

Only the author or those deriving their rights through the author can rightfully claim copyright. Subject to certain limitations, the owner of a copyright has the exclusive right to do and to authorize the following:
(a)    to reproduce copies of the copyrighted work;
(b)    to make derivative works based on the copyright works;
(c)    to distribute copies of the copyright work;
(d)    to perform the copyrighted work publicly; and
(e)    to display the copyrighted work publicly.

For more official U.S. government information on copyright, visit www.copyright.gov .