This guide does not supply legal advice, nor is it intended to replace the advice of legal counsel.
If you are an author looking for assistance with managing or negotiating your copyright, we recommend reviewing Madison's Managing Your Copyright page.
Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code) to authors. The owner of copyright has the exclusive right to do and authorize the following:
Copyright protection covers both published and unpublished works as well as out-of-print materials. In the United States, all works are presumed to be copyright - and that includes anything published to the web.
Facts, ideas, procedures, processes, systems, concepts, principles or discoveries cannot be copyrighted. However, some of these other forms of intellectual property can be protected by patent, trademark, or trade secret laws.