What rights do copyright owners have under the Copyright Act?
The Copyright Act of 1976 grants a number of exclusive rights to copyright owners, including: • Reproduction right — the right to make copies of a protected work • Distribution right — the right to sell or otherwise distribute copies to the public • Right to create adaptations (called derivative works) — the right to prepare new works based on the protected work • Performance and display rights — the rights to perform a protected work (such as a stage play) or to display a work in public This bundle of rights allows a copyright owner to be flexible when deciding how to realize commercial gain from the underlying work; the owner may sell or license any of the rights.
