{"id":4951,"date":"2016-04-04T10:47:49","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T15:47:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/smallbusiness\/intellectual-property\/copyright-licenses.html"},"modified":"2024-07-17T14:29:47","modified_gmt":"2024-07-17T19:29:47","slug":"copyright-licenses","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/intellectual-property\/copyright-licenses.html","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Copyright Licenses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Understanding Copyright Licenses<\/h1>\n
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\n By Christie Nicholson, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Amber Sheppard, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last reviewed\n
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\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

When a person creates content, like a movie, book, or film, they should have primary control over who uses their work. Securing a copyright is the best way to prevent others from infringing on your work.<\/p>\r\n

Copyrights<\/a> give the creator exclusive rights over their original works. Of course, only some things are copyrightable. For instance, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will not issue a copyright on ideas, concepts, and facts. For something to be copyrightable, it must be in a tangible form. A drawing on paper would suffice. So would a novel in the form of a manuscript.<\/p>\r\n

The following are examples of copyrightable materials<\/a>:<\/p>\r\n