Copyright is a set of rights, determined by Title 17 of the United States Code, granted to authors of original works. These rights include the exclusive right to reproduce, publish, sell, or distribute the original work. Copyright pertains to literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and certain other works, both published and unpublished, which are fixed in a tangible medium. That means that the work has to exist in some sort of physical form for some period of time, and that the work can be transmitted or reproduced in some way. A choreographed dance is protected, but "social dances" generally are not. Copyright laws do not cover ideas, but rather the expression of those ideas.
The Copyright Clause of the United States Constitution gives Congress the power "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." Copyright, originally designed to encourage publishing by allowing authors to make money from their works, grants authors control over how their works are shared and disseminated. This guide is designed to provide basic information on some of the different aspects of copyright law, especially as it pertains to higher education. However, it is not a substitute for legal advice or the Lesley University Policy on the Use of Copyrighted Works.