A copyright is legal protection of a piece of music, literature, photo or other piece of creative printable matter.  A copyright determines who has the rights to print, copy or distribute a work.  This protection is issued by a government and normally has a time limit.  A copyright is notated by the symbol that looks like this ©

 

 Anyone can register their work, you don’t need a lawyer  nor do you need to speak alot of money. Works can be registered in the US by visiting the US Copyright Office online.   Please note when registering a work as copyrighted in one country, it may not be protected in other countries.  The United States has a variety of countries that honor their copyrights and are honored by.  The government has created a website that has a complete list.

 

  A common question in regards to copyrights, is how long is the work protected? Work that was created (fixed in tangible form for the first time) on or after January 1, 1978, is automatically protected from the moment of its creation and is ordinarily given a term enduring for the author’s life plus an additional 70 years after the author’s death.