What does copyright protect?
Answer
Copyright protects both published and unpublished works. A non-exhaustive list of the types, or classes, of “works” subject to copyright protections includes:
- Literary works including, but not limited to, books, journals, personal correspondence, tables, computer programs and databases
- Dramatics works including dance or mime
- Musical works
- Artistic works including engravings, drawings, paintings, photographs, diagrams, maps and plans, etchings, lithographs and woodcuts, sculptures, collages, architecture (including architectural plans) and works of artistic craftsmanship such as clothing and furniture among others
- Sound and music recordings
- Film and television recordings
- Broadcasts
- Typographical arrangements in published editions of written, dramatic and musical works.
It is important to know that copyright only protects the expression of an idea, not the underlying idea itself. Facts are also not protected by copyright.