Copyright Law Overview

The legal right to control the copying, distribution, performance, and display of an original work.

Original literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, including computer programs, films, and sound recordings.

Novels, poems, short stories, books, computer programs, and databases.

Includes program manuals, punched cards, magnetic tapes/discs, computer printouts, and the code itself.

Copyright protection starts automatically when a creative work is fixed in a tangible form (written down, recorded, etc.).

Copyright law grants creators the exclusive right to reproduce, adapt, distribute, perform, and display their work.

Copyright is based on statutes (laws) and doesn't require registration for protection.

Copyright protects the expression of an idea, not the idea itself. Someone else can create a similar work without infringing.

Organizations like ASCAP and BMI collect fees from businesses that use a member's copyrighted music, distributing those fees to the artists.

They represent songwriters, composers, and music publishers.

Record labels coordinate copyright protection for sound recordings and music videos.

It's the legal right to control how your original work is used. It protects your creative expression, like a song, book, or painting.

Registering your copyright is optional but provides legal evidence of your ownership, protecting you in case of disputes.

You can register your copyright online through the U.S. Copyright Office.

The Copyright Office examines your application and supporting materials to ensure they meet the requirements of the law.

Make the creative work. It could be a song, a story, a painting, or any other form of original expression.

The act of taking a portion, or sample, of a song and reusing it. It can have copyright implications if not done properly (i.e., asking permission).

File sharing services (e.g., LimeWire, Napster) that allow users to share digital files, including copyrighted music, without permission from the copyright holder.

A song that restaurants often use instead of the traditional "Happy Birthday" song to avoid copyright infringement.

The "Happy Birthday" song is copyrighted, meaning restaurants can't use it without permission. To avoid copyright infringement, they create their own unique versions.

The ability to make changes to an existing work, such as creating a movie adaptation of a book or making a remix of a song.

The right to publicly perform a work, such as playing a musical piece at a concert or showing a movie in a theater.

The right to publicly display a work, such as showing a painting in an art gallery or displaying a photograph on a website.

The Copyright Act of 1957 was a significant change in Indian copyright law. It introduced the Copyright Office and Board, provided civil and criminal remedies for infringement, and established international copyright provisions.

The Copyright Act of 1957 included a section defining types of works that qualify for copyright protection, such as literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works.

The Copyright (Amendment) Act of 1992 extended copyright protection to performers, clarified the Copyright Board's powers, and addressed issues of assignment and licensing.

The 1983 and 1984 Copyright Amendment Acts implemented international copyright agreements and aimed to combat video piracy.

The duration of copyright protection depends on the type of work, its ownership, and whether it has been published. Most works are protected for 60 years, while broadcast reproductions have a shorter term of 25 years.