What Works are Protected

    Copyright protects "original works of authorship" that are fixed in a tangible form of expression. The fixation need not be directly perceptible, so long as it may be communicated with the aid of a machine or device. Copyrightable works include the following categories:

1. literary works;
   
   

2. musical works, including any accompanying words;
   
   

3. dramatic works, including any accompanying music;
   
   

4. pantomimes and choreographic works;
   
   

5. pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works;
   
   

6. motion pictures and other audiovisual works;
   
   

7. sound recordings; and
   
   

8. architectural works.

    These categories should be viewed quite broadly: for example, computer programs and most "compilations" are registrable as "literary works;" maps and architectural plans are registrable as "pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works."

*Note Corner Poetry and its agents are not copyright experts. The information found within this web site has been provided us by a copyright attorney who wishes to remain anonymous. Please do not contact us regarding copyright questions. Please refer your questions to The United States Copyright Office at the link provided above.