Compilations, Collections, and Derivative Works

Copyright extends not only to newly created works but also to preexisting works that have been compiled or collected in some unique fashion and to new versions of old works.

Compilations and Collective Works

Authors often select preexisting materials and then combine them in a unique manner. Thus, an author might create an almanac of information containing birth and death dates of famous people, lists of award-winning novels, and tables relating to employment statistics. Although these elements in themselves are not copyrightable because they are facts, the author's selection and arrangement of them into a unique product qualifies for copyright protection as a compilation. Likewise, although recipes ...

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