| What
is Protected by Copyright?
What is Protected by Copyright?
Copyright law covers works of authorship and expression
that are fixed in any tangible medium of expression.
Since 1978, in the US Copyright is automatic…
that is, you don’t need to register something
or even put a notice on it to signify that it is covered
by copyright. Copyrightable works include the following:
- literary
works;
- musical
works, including any accompanying words
-
dramatic works, including any accompanying music
-
pantomimes and choreographic works
- pictorial,
graphic, and sculptural works
- motion
pictures and other audiovisual works
-
sound recordings
-
architectural works
What
is Not Protected by Copyright?
Several categories of material are generally not eligible for federal
copyright protection. These include among others:
- Works that have not been fixed in a tangible form of expression (for example,
choreographic works that have not been notated or recorded, or improvisational
speeches or performances that have not been written or recorded)
- Titles, names, short phrases, and slogans; familiar symbols or
designs; mere variations of typographic ornamentation, lettering, or coloring;
mere listings of ingredients or contents
- Ideas, procedures, methods, systems, processes, concepts, principles,
discoveries, or devices, as distinguished from a description, explanation,
or illustration
- Works consisting entirely of information that is common property
and containing no original authorship (for example: standard calendars,
height and weight charts, tape measures and rulers, and lists or tables
taken from public documents or other common sources)
Last Updated 10/27/05 |
