Introduction to Copyrights

Copyright is a form of intellectual property protection that protects original works of authorship that are fixed in a tangible form of expression, including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Copyright registration is inexpensive and easily accomplished.

Before the 1976 Copyright Act was passed, a distinction was drawn between published and unpublished works. A published work is one that is distributed to the public for sale or otherwise transferred to another, such as by rental or lending. An example of an unpublished work is a diary or journal maintained by the author and not distributed to the public. Rights to an unpublished ...

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