Copyrighting Your Digital Images

Copyrighting Basics

Copyright is the exclusive legal right, granted to you by law, to control the reproduction, distribution, public display, and derivative use of your “original works of authorship” (title 17, U. S. Code). This law allows you to sue for unauthorized use (infringement) of your work.

“Copyright” literally means the right to copy. This right begins the moment your original work is created in a fixed, tangible form. In other words, you automatically own the copyright to your creative works. Copyright protection is available for both published and unpublished works. Copyrightable works include anything that fits into one of these categories:

Literary works—including computer programs

Musical works—including ...

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