[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-605424-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-605424-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","circular-copyright-basics","CIRCULAR - Copyright Basics","","Explains how U.S. copyright protection works for authors of original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium. Covers what types of works are eligible, what rights copyright owners have (including reproduction, derivative works, distribution, public performance, and public display), and who can claim copyright in both single-author and joint-author situations. Also details important exceptions and what copyright does not protect, including ideas and uncopyrightable categories.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/circular-copyright-basics/605424/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/circular-copyright-basics/605424.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"\tCallum ","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-16",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",7,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"When does U.S. copyright protection begin?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Copyright protection exists automatically once the original work of authorship is fixed in a sufficiently permanent medium. It applies from the moment the work is created in fixed form.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What kinds of works are protected by copyright?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Copyright covers categories such as literary, musical, dramatic, choreographic, pictorial/graphic/sculptural works, motion pictures and audiovisual works, sound recordings, and architectural works. The categories are meant to be viewed broadly for registration purposes.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What does copyright not protect?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Copyright does not protect ideas, procedures, methods, systems, concepts, principles, or discoveries. It also does not protect titles, names, short phrases, slogans, familiar symbols or designs, mere typographic ornamentation, or mere listings of ingredients or contents.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},605424,1792480498,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,110,114,119,122,126],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":55,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":107,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},8,30,"research-report",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":121},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":123,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":124,"show_sort_weight":123,"slug":125},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":128,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":129},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":131},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":132,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":111,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":123,"language":139,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144},137451211410,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/2000bb0a9246f588df?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1786362646172706240","CIRCUL1AR  \nCopyright Basics  \nCopyright is a form of protection provided by U.S. law to authors of“original works of authorship” from the time the works are created in a fixed form. This circular provides an overview of basic facts about copyright and copyright registration with the U.S. Copyright Office. It covers  \n• Works eligible for protection  \n• Rights of copyright owners  \n• Who can claim copyright  \n• Duration of copyright  \nCopyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors of “original works of authorship”that are fixed in a tangible form of expression. An original work of authorship is a work that is independently created by a human author and possesses at least some minimal degree of creativity. A work is “fixed”when it is captured (either by or under the authority of an author) in a sufficiently permanent medium such that the work can be perceived, reproduced, or communicated for more than a short time. Copyright protection in the United States exists automatically from the moment the original work of authorship is fixed.1  \nWhat Works Are Protected?  \nExamples of copyrightable works include  \n• Literary works  \n• Musical works, including any accompanying words  \n• Dramatic works, including any accompanying music  \n• Pantomimes and choreographic works  \n• Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works  \n• Motion pictures and other audiovisual works  \n• Sound recordings, which are works that result from the fixation of a series of musical, spoken, or other sounds  \n• Architectural works  \nThese categories should be viewed broadly for the purpose of registering your work. For example, computer programs and certain “compilations” can be registered as “literary works”; maps and technical drawings can be registered as“pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works.”  \nw  \n[copyright.gov](copyright.gov)  \nnote: Before 1978, federal copyright was generally secured by publishing a work with an appropriate copyright [notice](notice. U.S. works2 that were in the public domain on January 1)[. U.S. works](notice. U.S. works2 that were in the public domain on January 1)[2](notice. U.S. works2 that were in the public domain on January 1)[ that were in the public domain on January 1](notice. U.S. works2 that were in the public domain on January 1), 1978, when the 1976 Copyright Act took effect, remain in the public domain under the 1976 Act.  \nWhat Are the Rights of a Copyright Owner?  \nCopyright provides the owner of copyright with the exclusive right to  \n• Reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords3  \n• Prepare derivative works based upon the work  \n• Distribute copies or phonorecords of the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership or by rental, lease, or lending  \n• Perform the work publicly if it is a literary, musical, dramatic, or choreographic work; a pantomime; or a motion picture or other audiovisual work  \n• Display the work publicly if it is a literary, musical, dramatic, or choreographic work; a pantomime; or a pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work. This right also applies to the individual images of a motion picture or other audiovisual work.  \n• Perform the work publicly by means of a digital audio transmission if the work is a sound recording  \nCopyright also provides the owner of copyright the right to authorize others to exercise these exclusive rights, subject to certain statutory limitations.  \nWhat Is Not Protected by Copyright?  \nCopyright does not protect  \n• Ideas, procedures, methods, systems, processes, concepts, principles, or discoveries  \n• Works that are not fixed in a tangible form (such as a choreographic work that has not been notated or recorded or an improvisational speech that has not been written down)  \n• Titles, names, short phrases, and slogans  \n• Familiar symbols or designs  \n• Mere variations of typographic ornamentation, lettering, or coloring  \n• Mere listings of ingredients or contents  \nFor more information, see Works Not Protected b","cbCaiaXqNVn6lcL7","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiaXqNVn6lcL7","pdf",111322,"English","# Copyright Basics\n## What Works Are Protected?\n## What Are the Rights of a Copyright Owner?\n## What Is Not Protected by Copyright?\n## Who Can Claim Copyright?\n## Works Made for Hire","[{\"question\":\"When does U.S. copyright protection begin?\",\"answer\":\"Copyright protection exists automatically once the original work of authorship is fixed in a sufficiently permanent medium. It applies from the moment the work is created in fixed form.\"},{\"question\":\"What kinds of works are protected by copyright?\",\"answer\":\"Copyright covers categories such as literary, musical, dramatic, choreographic, pictorial/graphic/sculptural works, motion pictures and audiovisual works, sound recordings, and architectural works. The categories are meant to be viewed broadly for registration purposes.\"},{\"question\":\"What does copyright not protect?\",\"answer\":\"Copyright does not protect ideas, procedures, methods, systems, concepts, principles, or discoveries. It also does not protect titles, names, short phrases, slogans, familiar symbols or designs, mere typographic ornamentation, or mere listings of ingredients or contents.\"}]","CIRCULAR - Copyright Basics | PDF",1792132287,25]