Research Guides: Copyright: What is Protected?

What is Protected?

Copyright protections apply to original works of authorship that have been fixed to a particular tangible medium.

"The fixation need not be directly perceptible so long as it may be communicated with the aid of a machine or device." (That is, if you can play it, watch it, listen to it, touch it, or read it, it's protected.)

Fixed, protected works include:

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

Architectural works

However, some things must be kept free for all to use, and can therefore NOT be put under copyright protection, such as:

Facts

Ideas

Concepts

Principles

Titles

-- Adapted from Copyright Basics [PDF], United States Copyright Office

Copyright, Patent, Trademark

Do trademarks, copyrights, and patents protect the same things?

"No. Trademarks, copyrights, and patents protect different types of intellectual property:

A trademark typically protects brand names and logos used on goods and services.
A copyright protects an original artistic or literary work.
A patent protects an invention.

For example, if you invent a new kind of vacuum cleaner, you would apply for a patent to protect the invention itself. You would apply to register a trademark to protect the brand name of the vacuum cleaner. And you might register a copyright for the TV commercial that you use to market the product."

-- Adapted from Basic Facts About Trademarks [PDF], United States Patent & Trademark Office