Copyright Questions

1.       What is copyright? Copyright is whenever you write a original piece of work you have the right to it and it is illegal for anyone else to copy it.

2.       Why should I care about copyright? Copyright allows you to protect works that you are proud of and you spent a lot of time on.

3.       Which works are protected by copyright? Works protected by copyright are any original works such as recordings, musical works, literary works, etc.

4.       Which works are not protected by copyright? Things not protected by copyright are ideas, titles, names, or any other works that don’t have tangible forms of expression.

5.       Who owns the copyright in a work? The owner of a copyright is the author of the work, unless you are hired by your company to make a certain work then the copyright belongs to the company. There can also be two authors who work on a certain project, in this case they both own the copyright to it.

6.       What is copyright infringement? Copyright infringement is when you use a certain work without permission from the author.

7.       When do I need permission to copy? It is too hard to know what is considered fair use for copyright, most times it is determined by the courts by each case.

8.       How do I obtain copyright protection? As soon as a work is written it is considered a copyright.

9.       When and how do I register a copyright? To register a copyright you must go to the Capyright Office to create a public record of it.

10.   How long does copyright protection last? A copyright lasts from the day the author writes it till 70 years after they die.