What copyright doesn't protect

Copyright doesn't protect:

  • Ideas, methods and systems cannot be protected by copyright.

    • Section 102 (title 17 of the U.S.C.) of the Copyright Act states, “In no case does copyright protection for an original work of authorship extend to any idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, concept, principle, or discovery, regardless of the form in which it is described, explained, illustrated, or embodied in such work”. To protect an idea, method or system you need to patent it.

  • Copyright protection does not extend to names e.g. A business name, a song title, a book title etc.

    • These would fall into the category of trademarks.

Your country's Intellectual Property Office can give you the information you need about trademarks and patents.


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What Copyright Doesnt Protect

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