Copyright Basics

What iscopyright?

In general, copyright is a form of legal protection given to content creators through the grant of specific rights to works that qualify for protection.

The main goals of copyright are:

• to encourage the development of culture, science and innovation

• to provide a financial benefit to copyright holders for their works

• to facilitate access to knowledge and entertainment for the public.

Is copyright the same around the globe?

Copyright is a creation of law in each country, so there is no such thing as “international copyright”.

Nevertheless, nearly 170 countries have ratified a treaty – the Berne Convention, administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)

Berne sets a minimum set of standards for the protection of the rights of the creators of copyrighted works around the world

Where does copyright protection begin?

One of the basic principles of the Berne Convention is that of “automatic protection”, which means that copyright protection exists automatically from the time a qualifying work is fixed in a tangible medium (such as paper, film or a silicon chip)

What is protected by copyright law?

 A “qualifying work” is protected. This can be a:

• literary work• a musical composition• a film• a software program • a painting• other similar forms of creative works

It is however only the expression, and not the idea, that is protected by copyright law.

As you can see, copyright can be complicated. So how do you create a strong copyright policy?

Download our tip sheet:10 Tips for Creating a Copyright Policy here

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