Copyright
Copyright is a form of protection given to the authors or creators of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and other intellectual works.
This includes YOUR writings and work.
Copyright law gives you a set of rights that prevents other people from copying or using your work without your permission. So, it also prevents you from doing the same to work from others.
Copyright protects original works of authorship that are fixed in a tangible form of expression. The fixed form does not have to be directly perceptible so long as it can be communicated with the aid of a machine or other device. Copyrightable works fall into the following categories:
- literary works (which includes computer software);
- 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.
Avoid breaking copyright law. Give credit to the person who originally created the piece. See Citation Help.
Take a look at the
Copyright Law Fundamentals Flowchart
flow chart. A Digital Annotated Concept Map of the Fundamentals of U.S. Copyright Law by Lionel S. Sobel, Professor, Southwestern University School of Law
Editor, Entertainment Law Reporter
Other useful copyright sites:
Columbia University Copyright Advisory Office
