What types of works are protected by copyright?

In California, copyright law protects a variety of works, including literary works, musical works, dramatic works, choreographic works, pictorial, graphic and sculptural works, sound recordings, and motion pictures. Copyrights protect the form of expression, not the ideas or facts contained in the work. Literary works include books, poems, articles, and other writings. Musical works include musical compositions, including any accompanying words. Dramatic works include plays, operas, and musicals. Choreographic works include dances and pantomimes. Pictorial, graphic and sculptural works include photographs, paintings, drawings, and sculptures. Sound recordings are recordings of aural or instrumental sounds. Motion pictures include audiovisual works in film, such as movies. The Copyright Act also protects derivative works, which are works based on another work. These could include a film adaptation of a book, a translation of a book, or a musical arrangement of a song. Copyrights give creators exclusive rights to the works they have created, and the copyrights last for the life of the creator plus 70 years after the creator has died. Owners of the copyrights have the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, or create derivative works from the work. These rights are important for creators to be able to protect their work and to receive appropriate credit for their creativity.

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