Are ideas protected by copyright?

Yes, ideas can be protected by copyright. Copyright law is a form of intellectual property protection, and it applies to a wide range of creative works. This includes books, movies, music, artwork, and other types of creative works. According to the United States Copyright Office, a copyright is "a form of protection provided to the creators of original works of authorship, including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and certain other intellectual works." This means that when a person creates a work, they can secure a copyright, which gives them exclusive legal rights to that work, including the right to control how the work is used and reproduced. In Nebraska, copyright law is mainly governed by federal copyright law, as interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court. This means that copyright protection is available for both published and unpublished works, regardless of the form of expression. This includes ideas and concepts, so long as the idea or concept is expressed in some tangible form, such as a book, poem, or painting. The copyright of an idea or concept only protects the expression of that idea and not the idea itself. This means that another person may be able to express the same idea or concept, but they cannot use that expression created by the original author.

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