Copyright

What is copyright?

Copyright is a form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Copyright covers both published and unpublished works.

If you plan to use copyrighted material, such as an image, you need to BOTH obtain permission AND give attribution to the creator. Over the last several years many sites have put their work in Creative Commons. This does not exempt you from creating a citation in order to give credit to the creator.

What does copyright protect?

Copyright, a form of intellectual property law, protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture. Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed.