Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (title 17, U.S.Code) to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works.
A work is under copyright as soon as it is fixed in a tangible form; this means that as soon as it is written down or recorded, it is under copyright.
Copyright Law grants all copyright owners the right to:
- reproduce their copyrighted work
- prepare derivative works (remixes, etc.)
- distribute copies of the work to the public
- publicly perform the work
- publicly display the work
Things that are copyrightable:
- Literary works
- Musical works
- Dramatic works
- Pantomimes & choreographic works
- pictoral, graphic & sculptural works
- Audiovisual works
- Sound recordings
- Architectural works
Click here for more information on copyright owner rights.
