What is copyright?

Copyright is:

  • a collection of rights intended to provide copyright owners with protection for their own material while allowing others to access it for legitimate public good.
  • a form of intellectual property that protects a variety of materials, including literary, artistic, musical, and dramatic works. 'Subject matter other than works' are also protected by copyright, such as sound recordings, cinematograph films, broadcasts, and published editions.

Copyright does not protect ideas, only the form or expression the ideas take. Works must have a sufficient level of originality to be copyrighted.

Introduction to copyright