Copyright Law Basics
Black's Law Dictionary defines copyright as, "the right to copy; specifically, a property right in an original work of authorship (including literary, musical, dramatic, choreographic, pictorial, graphic, sculptural, and architectural works; motion pictures and other audiovisual works; and sound recordings) fixed in any tangible medium of expression, giving the holder the exclusive right to reproduce, adapt, distribute, perform, and display the work." As the definition states, the term copyright is fundamentally related to the right to make copies. However, it is clear that today's copyright law goes much further to protect use of a work as much as its replication.
