When it comes to protecting your intellectual property, copyright law will work its best to side in your favor. However, there are probably a few questions you have about copyright law and the extent to which it can cover your intellectual property. Read on, and you'll find out a few answers to those questions.

How Long Does a Copyright Last?

Since 1977, if you file a copyright, it will last for exactly 70 years. However, there are certain copyrights that can extend beyond this 70-year period. If you published a work under a pseudonym or completed a work for hire, then the copyright can last anywhere from 95 to 120 years. If you had a work copyrighted or published between 1922 and 1978, then the copyright lasts for 95 years from the date you had the work copyrighted or published. Finally, a work published or copyrighted before 1922 falls under the umbrella of public domain. That means that such works are not protected by copyright.

What Exactly Is a Copyright?

A copyright is a legal term used to protect your intellectual property. This can include the scope of your ideas, which can be conveyed through film, literature, or any variety of medium. Among the scope of protection that a copyright includes are distribution rights, which include the right to sell your idea, and performance rights, which include the right to perform or display a work that is your own. Then there are reproduction rights, which involve the ability to make copies or reproductions of your work. Finally, there is the right to adaptation, which includes the right to create new works that are based on your original source material. Only you or an entity that you have transferred the copyright to can be covered by the scope of copyright law.

What Type of Media Does Copyright Protect?

The types of media that copyright protects includes movies, video games, plays, paintings, recordings, software code, photographs, architecture plans and designs, poetry, CD-ROMs, videos, DVDs, sheet music, novels, sculptures, and even choreography. Most physical mediums are covered by the scope of copyright law. In order for a work to be copyrighted, it must exist in physical format, however. Intellectual property must have some form of tangible expression in order for copyright law to work effectively. The physical medium must also be an entirely original creation on behalf of the author. Works that are based on another media figure or copyright cannot be copyrighted by you.

For more information, contact a firm like Joseph E Mueth Law Office.