What is a copyrighted videorecording?
Copyright is a property right that gives the copyright owner of an original work a bundle of exclusive rights, which include the right to authorize or prohibit reproduction, derivative works, distribution, and public performance or display of that work. Under present law, copyright exists automatically from the moment a work is fixed in a tangible medium of expression. The work may be published or unpublished. It is not necessary that the copyright be registered with the Copyright Office. As of March 1, 1989, a notice of copyright on the work is optional and its absence does not necessarily mean that the work is in the public domain. The rights of copyright apply to videorecordings as well as to other works. It should be assumed that all videorecordings are protected by copyright unless verified otherwise.
