Copyright

In the United States, copyright protects an author's original works. In literal terms, copyright means the right to copy. This protection is available to authors of literature, drama, music, art and other works, including photographs, drawings, software, audio recordings, radio and television broadcasts of performances, and choreographed. The law gives an owner of an original work the sole right to determine whether or not other individuals may copy, reproduce, perform or display the original works.

When a permanent record is created for the first time in a form that can be read or visually apparent, the work is secured under copyright. If the work is created over a period of time, then the date in which the copy was "fixed" represents the date the work was created.