Are facts protected by copyright?

No, facts are not protected by copyright in North Dakota or anywhere else in the United States. Copyrights are a form of legal protection offered to creators of works of authorship, such as literary, musical, dramatic, choreographic, pictorial, graphic, sculptural, audiovisual, and other creative works. Facts, however, are not considered to be works of authorship and therefore are not protected by copyright law. Copyright law does, however, protect the expression of facts. This means that while the facts themselves can be used by anyone, the particular way in which they are expressed in a creative work may be protected. For example, if you create a website that details the history of North Dakota, the facts that you use to build such a website are not protected by copyright law. On the other hand, the particular words, stories, images, and videos used to express the facts are protected. Therefore, if someone else uses the same words, stories, images, and videos to create a similar website, they could be violating copyright law. In North Dakota, interests in copyrights are protected under the Copyright Act and the North Dakota Century Code. Under these laws, it is unlawful for anyone to reproduce, distribute, or otherwise use any copyrighted work without the permission of the copyright owner. Those found to be in violation of copyright law may be subject to civil and criminal penalties, including fines and possible jail time.

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