Legal Definition for Copyright

If you’re looking for the legal definition for copyright law, it's important to know the facts about what rights you do and do not have.

Do you understand copyright law?

First off, it's important to note that any information you find on the Internet should not be considered official legal advice. Every set of circumstances is different, and the only way to be sure that you are getting correct information is to talk to a trained, licensed attorney who understand copyright law and intellectual property. If you are in need of an attorney, you can search the American Bar Association for one in your area.

That said, copyright law is a complicated area of the legal system. There are many laws in place that protect writers and their work, but there are also laws in place that protect the public's right to use the work of another for their own purposes. To familiarize yourself with the legal definition for copyright law, you should talk to an attorney. If you are interested in performing your own research, here are some resources that might come in handy:

• Cornell University has a listing of the current copyright legislation
• 10 Myths About Copyright Explained
• FindLaw.com is a great legal resource, covering topics that include copyright law
• The United States Copyright Office has a great website set up with a ton of information that you can use, such as:
  • A PDF on copyright basics
  • A helpful FAQ on copyright law
  • How to record a document]
  • Licensing information

Certain aspects of writing are not covered under copyright law, and under these circumstances, it is possible that someone could use your work, word for word, without breaking any laws. According to the US Copyright Office website, "Copyright, a form of intellectual property law, protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed."

For example, copyright law does not protect the following:

• Web domains are not copyrightable
• Recipes are not copyrightable unless they appear in a cookbook or accompany significant literary expression within the directions of the recipe
• Names, such as books, bands and websites, are not protected by copyright law
• Ideas are not copyrightable without an official patent

Protect your rights!

Under some circumstances, your work can be copied under what's called "Fair Use Law." Under this law, your work can be used if it is for certain purposes, such as teaching, comment, criticism, news reporting, research and academic scholarship.

Also, your work may eventually be considered "public domain," which means that the work becomes available for use by people other than the author. For more information on fair use and public domain, check out the Stanford University page on copyright and fair use.

As a writer, your work is out there in the world and it may very well be copied. How can you protect yourself and your work from being plagiarized? Here are some resources that will help you:

• Here is a great article on how to protect your writing from plagiarism.
• Copyscape is a great free tool that lets you search the Internet for examples of your work. You can enter the URL of an article and Copyscape will scour the web, looking for places where your exact phrasing has been used. There are also similar sites you can check out.
• Plagiarism Today is a website dedicated to covering the legality behind copyright law and plagiarism.
• Are you worried about plagiarizing the work of others? Check out these tips to make sure you're not putting yourself at risk for legal action.

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