Copyright

Basic Information on Copyright

What is Copyright?

Copyright is a form of intellectual property right and refers to the legal term used to describe the rights that creators have over their literary and artistic works.

What Types of Rights does Copyright Provide?

• Economic Rights: refer to the rights of the author or copyright owner to derive financial reward from the use of his works by others.

• Moral Rights: refer to the rights of the author to claim authorship of the work (Right of Paternity) and the right to restrain the use of his name concerning any work, not of his creation or a distorted version of his work.

What is Covered by Copyright?

Copyright covers literary and artistic works, which is understood to include every original work of authorship regardless of artistic or literary merit.

Works covered by copyright include but are not limited to literary works such as novels, poems, and plays; newspaper articles; films and television programs; letters; artistic works including paintings, sculptures, drawings, and photographs; architecture; computer programs; and advertisements, maps, and technical drawings.