Copyright

Copyright refers to the legal protections offered to creators of "original works of authorship" that are fixed in a physical form of expression under US law. In basic terms, copyright is the right to copy. This means that the original authors of products have the exclusive right to duplicate the work. It protects creators of original material from unauthorized duplication or use. Examples of copyrightable works include literary, musical, dramatic, pictorial, graphic, sculptural, motion pictures, and architectural works. Copyright provides the copyright owner with the exclusive right to distribute copies of the work to the public by sale, rental, lease, or lending.  

An example of copyright can be seen in the Good Morning to You Production v. Warner/Chappell Music case.  In 2015, Warner/Chappell Music was sued by Good Morning to You Production. Good Morning to You Production was a team that was in the process of making a documentary. Warner/Chappell bought the rights to Happy Birthday to You song, meaning that films would not use the song, and instead use  other variations of the song, such as "oh he's a jolly good fellow." The terms of the agreement were not published in court papers announcing the settlement, but it ends the class-action lawsuit filed in 2013 by a group of musicians and filmmakers seeking a refund of millions of dollars in payments collected by the company over the years for the usage of the song.

All in all, copyright is important as it balances the rights of authors and encourages the protection of the creativity of original creators.

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