COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

What Is Copyright?

Copyright is a form of intellectual property (other forms include patents and trademarks).

A copyright is a person's exclusive right to reproduce, publish, or sell his or her original work of authorship (aka. intellectual property).

---

What types of intellectual property are eligible for copyright protection?

The following intellectual properties are eligible for copyright protection work:

• Fiction - Click here for more copyright information about registering your fictional works.
  
• Nonfiction - click here for more copyright information about registering your non-fiction.
  
• Poetry – click here for more copyright information about registering your poetry.
  
• Short Stories – click here for more copyright information about registering your short stories.

• Anything else which is intended to be performed

• Musical works (including recordings, lyrics and music) -- click here for more copyright information about registering your written or recorded songs and music.
  
• Motion Pictures, Film Shorts, Video Footage - Click here for more information about registering your movies, films and videos.
  
• Radio, Stage, Television (TV) and Movie Scripts - Click here for more information about registering your stage and screenplays.

• Any digital, technical, artistic, educational or written work may be copyrighted

• Websites -- click here for more copyright information about registering your website.
  
• Computer software – click here for more copyright information about registering your software code and algorithms.
  
• Software manuals, white papers
• Courseware and training materials
  
• Newspapers & newspaper articles
• Magazines & magazine articles
• Text (and email) advertisements
  
• Contributions to collective works
• Compilations
• Directories
• Catalogs
• Dissertations
• Theses reports
• Speeches
• Pamphlets
• Brochures

---

What types of intellectual property cannot be copyrighted?

---

Not all forms of intellectual property are eligible for copyright protection.

For example, intellectual property such as words and short phrases such as names, titles and slogans (this includes titles to books, plays, etc.) can be protected by trademark registration, but cannot be protected by copyright.

Another form of intellectual property that cannot be copyrighted include Ideas, plans, methods, systems, or devices, as distinguished from the specific manner in which they are expressed or described (i.e. a mere listing of ingredients can not be copyrighted, but if a recipe is accompanied by a set of directions, or when there is a collection of recipes, then there is a basis for copyright registration).

Blank forms, such as time cards, graph paper, checks, scorecards, address books, order forms, or other similar types of intellectual property, which are designed to record information and do not themselves convey any information, are not eligible for copyright protection.

Intellectual property such as standard calendars, height and weight charts, tape measures, rulers, schedules of sporting events, and lists or tables taken from public documents or other common sources are not eligible for copyright protection.