Copyright
What is copyright? – The lawful right of an author, artist, composer, or other creator to control the use of his or her work by others. Copyright may not be duplicated, disseminated, or appropriated by others without the creator’s permission.
Which Works Are Not Protected by Copyright?
Not everything is protected by copyright law. The following are categories of things not protected:
- Ideas, procedures, methods, systems, processes, concepts, principles, discoveries, or devices, (but written or recorded descriptions, explanations, or illustrations of such things are protected copyright);
- Titles, names, short phrases, and slogans; mere listings of ingredients or contents (but some titles and words might be protected under trademark law if their use is associated with a particular product or service);
- Works that are not fixed in a tangible form of expression, such as an improvised speech or performance that is not written down or otherwise recorded;
- Works consisting entirely of information that is commonly available and contains no originality (for example, standard calendars, standard measures and rulers, lists or tables compiled from public documents or other common sources); and
- Works by the US government.
List provided by www.copyrightkids.org.