Copyright

Copyright is a legal term used to describe the rights that creators have over their literary and artistic works. Works covered by copyright range from books, music, paintings, sculpture, and films, to computer programs, databases, advertisements, maps, and technical drawings.

Overview

Under the Berne Convention, copyrights for creative works do not have to be asserted or declared, as they are automatically in force at creation. This means that every creative work produced is automatically copyrighted. This copyright protects the use of the image for a set period of time, depending on the medium.

Copyright laws

Copyright laws grant the creator the exclusive right to reproduce, prepare derivative works, distribute, perform and display the work publicly. Exclusive means only the creator of such work, not anybody who has access to it and can copy it, can use it in any of these ways.

Copyright infringement

Copyright infringement is the use of works protected by copyright law without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infriting certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, such as the right to reproduce, distribute, display or perform the protected work, or to make derivative works.

Fair use

Fair use is a doctrine in the law of the United States that permits limited use of copyrighted material without having to first acquire permission from the copyright holder. Fair use is one of the limitations to copyright intended to balance the interests of copyright holders with the public interest in the wider distribution and use of creative works by allowing certain limited uses that might otherwise be considered infringement.

See also

• Intellectual property
• Public domain
• Digital Millennium Copyright Act

References

Copyright Resources
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