Copyright

Copyright is an automatic legal right that gives the creator of an original creative work control over how it is used. It begins automatically when the work is created, so you do not have to apply for it. A copyright symbol (©) is useful because it reminds people who owns the work, but it is not required. A drawing with no symbol is still protected, and adding a symbol to someone else's work does not make it yours.

Expression, not ideas

Copyright protects the way an idea is expressed, not the idea itself. Imagine you tell a friend your idea for a maze game. Your friend can make their own maze game with a similar idea, but they cannot copy your program code, your character drawings or your level layouts without permission. Those are your expression of the idea.

Copyright can cover original literary works such as writing, dramatic works, artistic works, musical works, sound recordings, films and computer programs. So it can apply to something as different as a hand-bound comic sold at a school fair, the recording of a school orchestra's concert, or the code behind a mobile app.

What the holder can control

The copyright holder can stop others copying, renting or lending, performing, broadcasting, showing in public or adapting the work without permission. For example, a photographer could object if a café printed one of their photos on menus and posters without asking, because that is copying and showing the work in public. The right gives the creator control and a way to earn from their work.