What is copyright law?

Copyright law is a form of intellectual property law that protects original works of authorship (such as books, music, and films) from being copied and sold without permission. In the United States, copyright law is granted at the federal level and enforced by the United States Copyright Office. In Virginia, copyright law is regulated by the Virginia Code § 59.1-346 and grants the owners of original works of authorship certain exclusive rights, usually for a limited period of time. These exclusive rights are: (1) the right to reproduce the work (e.g., making copies, creating digital copies, and selling the work); (2) the right to prepare derivative works based upon the work (e.g., making a movie or a sequel based on a book); (3) the right to distribute copies of the work to the public; and (4) the right to display the work publicly (e.g., performing or displaying a work on television or in a theatre). It is important to note that copyright law does not protect a person’s idea, only the expression of the idea. For example, a copyrighted book cannot stop someone else from writing a book on the same topic, but they cannot copy and/or distribute the original work without permission. In addition, copyright law does not last forever—it typically lasts for the life of the author or creator plus an additional 70 years, after which the work is available to the public domain, meaning anyone is free to use the work however they please.

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