Copyright
Copyright is a form of intellectual property protection granted to authors of original works which are fixed in a tangible medium of expression. This includes literary works, music, visual art, film, software code, and vessel hull designs. Copyright registration in the U.S. Copyright Office is critical to protecting your rights. Registration is required to bring a lawsuit for infringement and may provide for certain remedies, such as the ability to recover statutory damages and attorney’s fees. Registration is designed to encourage creativity by giving authors and artists control over how their work is used and distributed.
Copyright Protection
Copyright gives the owner exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, display, and create derivative works from their original content. These rights can be licensed or transferred, which allows creators to commercialize their work while still retaining legal control. Copyright law functions as a critical tool for artists, authors, startups, and businesses to protect their creative assets and preserve their market value.
Copyright Types
Literary Works
Literary works include written content such as books, articles, and poems. Copyright protects the specific expression in the works, not the ideas themselves.
Music
Music encompasses both the composition (melody, harmony, lyrics) and the sound recording. Copyright law protects each separately, granting rights to both songwriters and recording artists.
Visual Art
Visual art includes paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures. Copyright protects the original artistic expression fixed in a tangible form.
Film
Film covers motion pictures and other audiovisual works, protecting both the script and the final recorded work, including the visual and auditory elements.
Software Code
Software code is treated as a literary work under copyright law, protecting the source code or object code written by developers, though it does not cover the underlying algorithms.
Vessel Hull Design
Vessel hull designs are protected under a specific subset of copyright law (the Vessel Hull Design Protection Act), which grants exclusive rights to the original design of boat hulls.
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