Question: Copyright Laws: What Does a Copyright Protect?
Answer: According to the United States Patent and Trademark Office:
The 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to reproduce the copyrighted work, to prepare derivative works, to distribute copies or phonorecords of the copyrighted work, to perform the copyrighted work publicly, or to display the copyrighted work publicly.
A copyright, which is often seen abbreviated using the symbol © is used for protecting the following, whether or not they are actually published:
- Writings, including publications, articles, music, lyrics, and books;
- Designs, including logos, schematics, and ideas for designs;
- Works of art, including photography, graphic arts, paintings, and drawings; and
- Other “forms of expressions” and concepts (ideas) that have been expressed.
