Copyright protection exist in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated, either directly or with the aid of a machine or device. Works of authorship include the following categories:
musical works, including any accompanying words
dramatic works, including any accompanying music;
Pantomimes and choreographic works
pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works;
Motion pictures and other audiovisual works;
Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed. Copyright protection isn’t available until the work is in a tangible medium of expression, such as a paperback book or audio recording. Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.After all, copyright law doesn’t protect ideas, only the expression of the ideas.
Once obtained, a copyright gives you exclusive rights to your artistic works. These include the right to reproduce the work, distribute copies of it, perform it, and display it publicly.
Obtaining a copyright registration for your work comes with exclusive rights for years.
The owner of copyright under this title has the exclusive rights to do and to authorize any of the following:
The length of the copyright protection varies depending on the date of first publication or creation. According to the U.S. Copyright Office, all registered works created after January 1, 1978 are protected all throughout the author’s lifetime plus an additional 70 years.
If created as a work for hire for a company or any other legal entity, the work has copyright protection that lasts for 95 years from the date it was first published or a term of 120 years from the year it was created, whichever expires first.