8.1.1: Copyright
- Page ID
- 261529
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According to the United Nations, copyright is a universal human right (United Nations). The United States government defines copyright as "a type of intellectual property that protects original works of authorship as soon as an author fixes the work in a tangible form of expression" (What is Copyright?). This means that any work that is authored or made by anyone, and is put into some sort of physical or digital form, is automatically copyrighted, and that copyright is present in our lives all of the time. A copyright owner (literally the one who has the right to copy) controls who can:
- reproduce their work (whether it is published or not)
- distribute copies of their work through selling, renting, lending, or giving it away, or by licensing the work to someone else for distribution
- perform or display the work in public
- make derivative works such as translations, adaptations, and reinterpretations
U.S. copyright law is incredibly complex, but here are some basic points:
- Copyright is protected by the U.S. Constitution
- Works published in the U.S. have copyright protection for 70 years after the death of the creator or 95 years after publication if the creator is a corporation
- Copyright protects original works including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture
- Not protected by copyright are: facts, ideas, procedures, processes, slogans, principles, or discoveries
- Government documents, including images, are generally not protected by copyright, but it’s always best to cite them to avoid possible plagiarism
- Registration with the U.S. Copyright office is not required unless you want to argue your case in court, though many register their works to have a public record of their copyright