Copyright is a law that gives you ownership over the things you create. Be it a painting, a photograph, a poem or a novel, if you created it, you own it and it’s the copyright law itself that assures that ownership. The ownership that copyright law grants comes with several rights that you, as the owner, have exclusively. A Copyright is a form of protection provided by law to authors of “original works of authorship.” This includes literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and other creative works. Material not protected by copyright is available for use by anyone without the author’s consent. A copyright holder can prevent others from copying, performing or otherwise using the work without his or her consent.

Our information and education center has help pages and fact sheets covering a wide range of intellectual property topics, including:

Advice on how to protect your work
How to use copyright notices
How to deal with copyright infringement and plagiarism
Specific advice for writers, musicians, artists, web designers, etc.