Know the Details and Definitions of Copyright Protection

Definition Of Copyright Protection And More Details

Copyright is a form of intellectual property law based in United Stated Constitution, targeted for original works of authors including movies, songs, writing, computer software under the software copyright law and architecture, photographs, musical and dramatic artworks with both published and unpublished status. However it won’t protect ideas, certain facts, systems of methods of operation while it does protect how these things are expressed. This is what they call a form of expression. For example, your own description of a sport car can be copyrighted and protect other from copying that description. However other people can create their own way of describing the same sport car, and it is totally allowed and outside the copyright law area. The U.S. Copyright Protection Act describes details of area of works that are being protected by copyright law.

If you are the owner of the copyrighted material, you maygive permission to other people to do the work. Or simply give out the entire authority by use of transfer of copyright.

What Are Differences Between Copyright And A Patent, Trademark?

If you are the original creator or author of a tangible works, then it will be protected by copyright. But if they are your inventions or discovery, then they will be protected by a patent. Copyright may protect the way ideas and discoveries are expressed. In case of trademark, those things like devices, words, symbols, your own design, logo and phrases are protected by outlining the source of the goods or services. Trademark can be used to prevent other people from using similar mark confusingly, however if they create the same product or sell the same service under the different mark, it is not covered by trademark.

What Can Be Copyrighted?

Under the Copyright Law, only those original works of authorship that are tangible forms of expression can be protected. This means you should be able to see, hear, touch and feel it. To be qualified as an original, the work doesn’t need to be highly creative or brand new. If it is original from a certain author, it is enough to be claimed as candidate for copyright protection.

According to the law, a certain fact can’t be claimed to be original by anybody or anything. For example, if you write an article about super bowl game, you can’t claim a copyright about the game itself because the origin belongs to the fact, which is the game itself in this case.

- Literary works (biography, books, poetry, magazine, software)
- Musical works with accompanying words (operas, plays, piano concerts)
- Pantomimes and choreographic works (ballards, hip-hop dance, jazz or break dance)
- Sound recordings (drama, music redording)
- Pictorial, sculptural, graphic works (stamps, maps, paintings)
- Motion pictures
- Architectural works (buildings, bridges)

If you are the original owner of a certain work, you can register the copyright for your work with the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress after your submit the application form with filing fees.

What Does Copyright Not Pertain To

There are few areas that cannot be protected by copyright protection, according to section 102 of Title 17. They are including but not limited to non tangible items such as concepts, ideology, ideas, process, system, methods of operation, and principles in the form of how they are described, explained, illustrated or embodied in other formats. Also a live performance including a preaching, lecture or concert can’t be copyrighted, whereas if you video or audio tape them then they can be copyrighted as they are a form of transcript. Another category includes the quality of a work and its aesthetics, amount of effort put into work are not eligible for being protected under the copyright law. For example, an old tale over the generation such as love story theme can’t be copyrighted but the details that are recreated with new telling can be a candidate.

Also those works made by the U.S. Government that are published onto the public domain can’t be copyrighted as the Federal government is banning them from holding the copyright in their own work. A good example is lots of NASA’s images found on the web that can be freely copied and distributed among the people.

If you want to know more about other legal information, go to our site, and you can find many legal resources and free legal forms that are of no cost, including trademarks forms and Free Patent Forms that can be used among many inventors.