A copyright is a method for protecting the creative and artistic expression of ideas. The purpose of copyright is substantially different than that of patent, which generally protects inventions and methods of doing things.

The basis for copyright is found in the U.S. Constitution. Copyright protection is reserved to the federal government. There is no state copyright protection. In today's international business climate, the U.S. has joined other nations in international copyright treaty agreements, which provide copyright protection internationally, in those nations which have adopted the same treaty obligations.

Copyright protects the results of creative and artistic endeavor. It can be used to protect the works of authors, artists, sculptors, composers, performers, designers and even computer programmers. However, copyright only protects the expression of the idea (how an author says something) rather than the idea itself. As an example, an author's novel about space pirates will be protected by copyright and may not be copied. However, the author's copyright does not prevent another author from using the idea of space pirates to also write a novel, so long as the second author does not copy the work of the first author. This can become a very complex issue.

There are works which are not entitled to copyright protection, such as works which are already in the public domain, works with no originality (such as putting names in alphabetical order) or facts. No one may obtain a copyright on facts. However, the selection and presentation of facts may be protected by copyright. As an example, no one may copyright the elements making up the periodic table. However, if the elements are presented in a creative format, such as a periodic table containing a list of the use for each element, the format, if not the elements, may be protected by copyright.

Registration of Copyright is not a difficult, time consuming or expensive undertaking, when compared to patent or trademark registration. Considering the multiple Benefits of Registration, it makes sense to register any work which has a reasonable likelihood of being copied.