Copyright

Copyright

Copyright is a legal concept. It protects the physical expression of ideas. As soon as an idea is given physical form, e.g. music, a web page, a piece of writing, a photograph and a film, it is protected by copyright. Generally, it is "the right to copy", but also gives the copyright holder the right to be credited for the work. There is no need for registration or to claim copyright in some way, protection is automatic at the point of creation. Both published and unpublished works are protected by copyright. Copyrights are said to be territorial, which means that they do not extend beyond the territory of a specific state unless that state is a party to an international agreement.

Copyright is usually owned by the creator of the work, for example, the composer, author, artist photographer and many more. 

Copyright refers to laws that regulate the use of the work of a creator, such as an artist of author. This includes copying:

-distributing, 

-altering 

-displaying creative, 

-literary and other types of work. 

Unless otherwise stated in a contract, the author of creator of a work retains the copyright. 

Copyright law grants to copyright holders certain exclusive rights in relation to their works. They have the right to: copy a work, issue copies to the public, perform show or play it, make adaptations or translations. They also have the right to prevent: 

• others communicating a work to the public by electronic transmission, e.g. broadcasting it or putting it on a website.
• others making available to the public a recording of a performance by electronic transmission, e.g. putting it on a website

 Infringing the rights of copyright holders may be a criminal offence and/or cause them to sue for damages.