What can receive copyright protections?
Intellectual property law covers a range of important legal topics that can protect marks, work products, and other proprietary information created by private individuals and businesses. In Utah, individuals may seek to protect the items of intellectual property that they make so that others cannot profit from their use. This post will discuss one area of intellectual property law – copyrights – and what types of work product can be protected. This post does not provide any legal advice and readers can contact their trusted intellectual property attorneys for guidance on their copyright questions.
What is copyright?
Copyright is a protection that applies to some work products to prevent others from reproducing, using, displaying, or otherwise profiting from someone else’s creation. An individual does not have to apply for copyright protections as they automatically attach once a qualifying item is created. However, if a copyrighted item is infringed upon, the creator may have to seek a formal registration of their copyright before they pursue their losses.
In order to be protected by copyright, a work produce must be original and fixed. It cannot be a copy of another existing work, and it must be reviewable in some form of permanent medium. Without these requirements, an item my not be protected by copyright.
Common works that are protected by copyright
There are many types of work products that are protected by federal copyright laws some of those work products include, but are not limited to:
- Works of architecture, including drawings, plans, and actual buildings
- Works of literature
- Works of art
- Works of film and drama
- Works of music and choreography
When an individual discovers that their copyrighted work has been used without authorization, they have rights to stop the infringement that may financially affect them. It is important that individuals in this situation seek legal help from attorneys who practice intellectual property law and understand copyright protections.