What is a copyright?

Copyright literally means “the right to copy.” The term, which refers to that body of exclusive rights granted by law to authors for the protection of their writings, includes the exclusive right to reproduce, publish, and sell copies of the copyrighted work, to make other versions of the work, and to make recordings of and perform the work in public.

Please refer to the U.S. Copyright Office website (www.loc.gov/copyright) for more information on the Copyright Act of 1976, copyright basics, application forms and information circulars.