Can I copyright an idea?

No, you cannot copyright an idea. Copyright law protects expressions of ideas, not the ideas themselves. In Virginia, the law says that copyright protection is available to original works of authorship that are recorded in some fixed format. That means that for copyright protection to apply, you must create something tangible in a written or recorded form. Copyright protection doesn’t apply to ideas, concepts, systems, or methods of operation, although you may be able to get a patent for some of these things. It also doesn’t protect titles or names. You can, however, copyright the expression of your idea, such as a movie or novel. To get copyright protection, you must submit your works to the United States Copyright Office and pay the required fee. Once you have a copyright, you have the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, perform, and display your work. This means that other people can’t use your work without your permission. It’s important to note that copyright protection doesn’t protect against independent creation of a work. If someone else comes up with the same idea, they can use it as long as their work is sufficiently different from yours.

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