Copyright Law

Copyright law serves to provide protection for poetry, movies, video games, CD-ROMs, videos, DVDs, plays, sheet music, paintings, recorded music performances, software code, novels, sculptures, choreography, photographs, and architectural designs. The medium which is copyrighted must be "fixed in a tangible medium of expression." It also is required to be original, meaning the author independently created the piece. It can be similar to others, but as long as it is different in terms of some creative effort, it can be copyrighted.

A copyright does not protect an author's ideas. It only can guard fixed, original material. Copyright law is intended to encourage the creation of new work, and therefore, encourages authors to enhance upon past ideas to generate new work.

Copyright law cannot pertain to facts, whether historical, scientific, or biographical. All research is considered public domain, and anyone is free to use knowledge in anything they produce. Regardless of how long the author took to discover the facts, they will not be protected.

For works published after 1977, the copyright will be valid until after 70 years past the author's death. However, if the work is published anonymously or done under employment, the copyright will last for 95 to 120 years from the date the work was published. All US works that were published in the US before 1923 are considered public domain.

If you would like more information on copyright law and its protections, contact the Austin copyright lawyers of Slater Kennon & Jameson by dialing 512-472-2431 today.