What works are protected by copyrights?
Copyrights protect “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: • literary works; • musical works, including any accompanying words; • dramatic works, including any accompanying music; • pantomimes and choreographic works; • pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works; • motion pictures and other audiovisual works; • sound recordings; and • architectural works. These categories should be viewed quite broadly: for example, computer programs and most “compilations” may be registered as “literary works;” maps and architectural plans may be registered as “pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works.
