copyright
KOP-ee-ryte
/ˈkɒp.i.raɪt/
The legal right to publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material.
Grants exclusive rights to the creator or assignee to reproduce and distribute original intellectual property.
The story behind the word. The concept originated in England after the Statute of Anne in 1710, the world's first formal copyright statute. Before this law, printers owned the rights to books forever once entered into stationers' registers. The Statute of Anne shifted the legal right to copy work back to the authors themselves for a limited term.
Word relationships
- intellectual property right: Intellectual property right is a broad legal category including patents and trademarks, whereas copyright specifically protects creative works.
- public domain: Public domain status means creative works are free for anyone to use without permission or copyright restrictions.
Commonly confused with
- copywriter: A copywriter is a professional writer who drafts promotional advertising text, whereas copyright is legal ownership of content.
Word family
- copyrighted (adjective): protected by copyright laws
Collocations
- copyright infringement
- copyright holder
- copyright notice
- held the copyright
Example sentences
- "The author retained the copyright to her novel while licensing foreign translation rights to European publishers." Legal rights in publishing
- "In copyright law, fair use permits limited borrowing from copyrighted works without permission." Real citation from law
Memory hook
Right to COPY = COPYRIGHT. Legal ownership of creation.
When not to use
Do not confuse with a patent (which protects inventions/processes) or a trademark (which protects logos and brand identities).
Fun facts
- In the UK, copyright on written works generally lasts for the author's entire lifetime plus 70 years after their death.
Related words
Explore more words
piracy, intellectual property, royalty, license, plagiarism, plagiarize
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