Copyright

Copyright is a legally exclusive right given to the owner or creator of a creative work to reproduce that work for a certain period of time. The creative work may be literary artistic or musical in form. Copyright is designed so the creators can see the rewards of their work, financially and reputationally without having others duplicate and claim their work as their own.

Technipages Explains Copyright

Copyright is supposed to apply to the manner of expression of an idea rather than the idea itself, as such the character Mickey Mouse and related media can be copyrighted so duplicating them is illegal but it is still perfectly legal to create media about anthropomorphised mice as long as they are clearly distinct from Mickey Mouse. Generally, if a copyrightable work is created under the employment of a company, the company, rather than the specific creator gains the copyright of the work.

Under the Berne convention, which is ratified by almost all countries, copyright is automatically applied and copyright symbols or notices are no longer required to be able to claim a work is copyrighted. Copyright infringement is especially rampant on the internet with many hosting and piracy sites dedicating to hosting material such as movies, music, video games, software, TV shows, art and more despite not owning the rights to do so. Generally, Copyright infringement is considered to have a negative impact on sales as people are able to access this content for free however some research suggests that pirated music being available on YouTube may actually increase sales.

Common Uses of Copyright

• Copyright has developed into a concept that has a significant effect on nearly every modern industry.
• Often seen as the first real copyright law, the 1709 British Statute of Anne gave the publishers rights for a fixed period, after which the copyright expired.
• Typically, a work must meet minimal standards of originality in order to qualify for copyright, and the copyright expires after a set period of time.

Common Misuses of Copyright

• Are you sure these two versions are identical and you got the copyright?