Copyright
What is copyright?Copyright is a protection afforded under federal law for various types of creative works. A work is copyrightable if it is an original work of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Copyrightable works include literary, musical or dramatic works; motion pictures and other audiovisual works; choreographic works and pantomimes; sound recordings; and architectural works.
The owner of a copyright in a particular work has the exclusive right to copy, display, perform, distribute, and create a derivative version of the work. Generally, then, this means that you may not do things like duplicate, show or perform a copyrighted work unless it is expressly allowed under the Copyright Act or you have the prior permission of the copyright holder.
A copyright exists in a work at the time it becomes fixed in some tangible medium of expression. Neither registration of the copyright with the federal government nor a copyright notice on the work itself is required for copyright protection.
What should you, as a student, know about copyright?
