Copyright protects original works of authorship. Just about anything that can be fixed in a tangible form and constitutes a creator’s expression is protectable under the Copyright Act. A non-exhaustive list of copyrightable subject matter includes: Literary Works. This category of works includes things like novels, poems, short stories, periodicals, essays, dictionaries, manuscripts, periodicals, and articles. It [...]
Copyright Patents Trademark Trade Secret What’s Protected? Original works of authorship, such as books, articles, songs, photographs, sculptures, choreography, sound recordings, motion pictures, and other works. Inventions, such as processes, machines, manufactures, compositions of matter as well as improvements to these. Any word, phrase, symbol, and/or design that identifies and distinguishes the source of [...]
Generally, a copyrighted work is protected for the length of the author’s life plus another seventy years. In the case of joint works, copyright protection is granted for the length of the life of the last surviving joint author plus another 70 years. Works made for hire, as well as anonymous and pseudonymous works, are [...]
A copyright notice does not need to be affixed to a copyrighted work for the work to be protected under the law. Proper copyright notice consists of the following three elements. © Symbol: Most works should include the © symbol. (Although U.S. law also allows the word “Copyright” or the abbreviation “Copr.”, the © symbol [...]
There are many reasons why you should use a copyright notice. Copyright notice makes other users aware that copyright is being claimed in the work. The notice identifies the copyright owner at the time the work was first published for parties seeking permission to use the work. The notice identifies the year of first publication, [...]