Copyright

DEFINITION

Copyright are the selected rights given to the originators of a work to distribute or copy it. Copyright protects creative expression that has been reduced to a tangible form, such as a book, music, computer program, screenplay etc.

Copyright is the ownership of an intellectual property within the limits prescribed by a particular nation's or international law. It refers to laws that regulate the use of the work of a creator, such as an artist or author. This includes copying, distributing, altering and displaying creative, literary and other types of work.

LEGAL DEFINITION OF COPYRIGHT

A bundle of intangible rights granted by statute to the author or originator of certain literary or artistic productions, whereby, for a limited period, the exclusive privilege is given to that person (or to any party to whom he or she transfers ownership) to make copies of the same for publication and sale.

HOLDERS OF A COPYRIGHT

A copyright is initially owned by the author of the work, except in the case of a "work for hire." A work for hire can arise in two situations:

(1) where an employee creates a work within the scope of his/her employment, in which case the employer owns the copyright to the work upon its creation;

(2) where two parties enter a written agreement designating the creation as a work for hire and the work falls within one of nine specific categories of work designated by copyright law.

If the work does not fit one of the specified categories, it will not be a work for hire even if the parties have called it one. In such a case, the author or authors retain the copyright, and transfer must be accomplished through a written assignment of copyright. Where there is a valid work for hire, the employer who owns the copyright has the same rights as any copyright holder, including the right to initiate an action for copyright infringement.

COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works covered by copyright law, in a way that violates one of the copyright owner's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.

EXAMPLES

Musical works

Duplication of a CD or other recorded media containing copyright material without permission of the copyright holder may be a form of copyright infringement, dependent on local laws.

TV and film

Promotional screener DVDs distributed by movie studios (often for consideration for awards) are a common source of unauthorized copying when movies are still in theatrical release,

Text

The unauthorized use of text content can be a form of copyright infringement. It is common on the world wide web for text to be copied from one site to another without consent of the author.

By Fatima Sayani