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| A copyright establishes ownership of original works of authorship that are fixed in any tangible medium of expression, such as on paper, film, canvas or computer storage, provided that it is an original work of authorship. The work must not be copied from another source and must be the result of some creative effort on the part of the author. Copyright protects only the particular form of the expression, not the idea that is the subject of the expression. Once an original work is created and fixed, copyright exists whether it is published or not. |
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| Copyright is intended to promote creativity by protecting such expressions as books, poetry, short stories, articles, photographs, musical compositions, audio and visual recordings, plays, movies, television programs, paintings, prints, maps, architectural drawings, sculptures, craft works, fabric and jewelry designs, computer software and databases. |
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The Copyright Act grants the owner the exclusive rights to the reproduction, adaptation, public distribution, public performance and public display of the copyright material.
The owner of a copyright can license or authorize others to use any or all of the five rights listed above. With a registered copyright, the owners have an advantage in negotiating these rights to others.
A copyright will have protection under United States law. Copyrights can also be protected internationally.
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| A copyright created after 1977 lasts for the life of the creator, plus 70 years. If the copy right was created as an employee, or as a specially commissioned work, the author may not be entitled to claim authorship or ownership of the work. The owner of the work would be the employer or contracting party. The copyright for those types of work lasts 120 years from their creation or 95 years from the first publication, whichever occurs first. |
| Providing Copyright Notice |
| A copyright notice is no longer required to preserve your copyright in most countries, including the United States. However, the use of a notice reduces the chances that an infringer can claim “innocent infringement” and reducing the amount of damages you may recover. |
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