Copyright, a form of intellectual property law, protects the expression of original ideas, but not the ideas themselves.
Copyright protects original works of authorship, such as software source code, manuals, survey instruments, and videos, when they are fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed.
Copyright gives a copyright holder exclusive rights in some uses of the copyrighted work. This means that others may not engage in these uses without the copyright holder's permission (i.e., a license). These rights are:
- The right of reproduction (i.e., the right to copy the work);
- The right to create derivative works (such as modifications);
- The right to distribute the work;
- The right to perform the work in public;
- The right to display the work publicly; and
- A digital transmission performance right.
There are limitations on the rights granted by copyright law. For example some uses that infringe copyrights are considered "fair" uses that do not require permission of the copyright holder. An example of this might be a critic's use of a short passage from a book in her negative review of the book. If her use meets certain criteria, then the copyright owner cannot prevent this use, even though she has infringed the copyright owner's reproduction and distribution rights. Additional information on copyright matters can be found at the U.S. Copyright Office web site and the University's web site