What Are the Provisions of Copyright Laws?
Copyright laws protect creators of works of authorship. Copyright laws provide the creator the rights to be the sole person to use, sell, perform or, more generally, profit from the work's creation.
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Scope
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Original works of authorship are granted copyright protection. These include works such as poetry, films, books, music and software.
Creation of Rights
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As soon as an original work is affixed or attached to a medium, the author is granted copyrights in it. This means that you can't just think something up or claim someone else's work as you own. It must be original, and it has to be created.
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Registration
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Copyrighted material can be registered with the United Sates Copyright Office. Although registration isn't necessary, it grants the copyright holder special rights.
Length of Rights
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Copyrights generally last for the life of the author plus 70 years after the author's death. For unpublished works and works published before 1978, that number may be different.
Infringement
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Copyright holders have the right to enforce their rights against others who copy, sell or otherwise profit from the copyrighted works without permission. Registration grants additional rights against infringement.
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