Copyright
Etymology
A transparent English compound of “copy” and “right,” dating to the early 18th century around Britain’s Statute of Anne. Unlike most legal terms, it wears its meaning on its sleeve: the right to make copies.
noun · /KOP-ee-ryte/
The automatic legal right of a creator to control the copying and use of an original expressive work.
What it names
The protection that covers songs, code, photos, and writing the instant they exist — reach for it to explain why you can own a poem but not the idea inside it.
Example
She held the copyright to the illustrations, so the publisher needed a license to reprint them.
Related idea
The three intellectual-property protections people jumble: copyright covers creative expression (a book, a song), a patent protects an invention or process, and a trademark protects a brand identifier like a name or logo.
See also