How Copyright Law Works

by Raymond Bragar

How Copyright Law Works

Much confusion concerns the particulars of copyright law. Can all written documents be copyrighted? Must one formally copyright a document?

How Copyright Law Works

First, understand that copyrights protect original, authored documents, both published and unpublished. In essence, copyright is a form of intellectual property protection that guards works such as literature, movies, software, songs, poetry, and even architecture. One important distinction is that copyright cannot protect a fact, idea, or operational method. Copyright can, however, protect how an author expresses a fact or idea.

How Copyright Law Works

Keep in mind that registration with the United States Copyright Office is noncompulsory. Documents are automatically copyrighted the moment an author creates a work. However, authors who believe a third party has infringed on their work will need to register with the Copyright Office prior to bringing about an infringement lawsuit.

About the Author

Raymond Bragar is the President and cofounder of Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. In early 2012, he filed suit for his clients, attorneys Edward White and Kenneth Elan, in a case against legal research companies Westlaw and Lexis-Nexis. Westlaw and Lexis gathered thousands of legal documents, including those written by White and Elan, collected them in searchable databases, and sold access to those databases, earning profits from the written works without permission from their authors.