Can I copyright an idea?
No, ideas cannot be copyrighted. Copyright is a type of legal protection that helps protect the author’s or creator’s ownership of an original work, like a book, painting, song, or film. Copyright protects the form or way a work is expressed, not the idea or concept behind it. It is important to note that copyright does not protect titles, names, short phrases, or slogans; those are protected under trademark law. In Oklahoma, the copyright law is the same as it is across the United States which is governed by the federal copyright law. According to the federal copyright law, an idea is not protectable by copyright. What is protectable is the way the idea is expressed. For example, if you come up with a novel idea for a science fiction story, you cannot copyright the idea. But if you write a novel based on your idea and publish it, the novel itself will be protected by copyright. In summary, you cannot copyright an idea. Copyright law legally protects the expression of an idea, not the idea itself.
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