“ Copyright protection subsists…in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now know or later developed....” 17 U.S.C. §102(a).
A brief overview of some key copyright points:
Copyright protection subsists, in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, know or later developed, from which they can be perceived, reproduced, otherwise communicated, either directly or with aid of a machine or devices. Works of authorship include the following categories:
Literary works;
Musical works, including any accompanying words;
Dramatic works, including any accompanying music;
Pantomimes and choreographic works;
Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works;
Motion pictures and other audiovisual works;
Sound recordings; and
Architectural works.
In no case does copyright protection for an original work of authorship extend to any idea, procedure, process, system, method or operation, concept principle or discovery, regardless of the form in which it is described, explained, illustrated, or embodied in such work.
