Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The legal right granted to an author, composer, playwright, publisher, or distributor to exclusive publication, production, sale, or distribution of a literary, musical, dramatic, or artistic work.
  • adjective Of or relating to a copyright.
  • adjective Protected by copyright.
  • transitive verb To secure a copyright for.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Exclusive right to multiply and to dispose of copies of an intellectual production (Drone); the right which the law affords for protecting the produce of man's intellectual industry from being made use of by others without adequate recompense to him (Broom and Hadley).
  • To secure a copyright of, as a book or play, by complying with the requirements of the law; enter for copyright.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To secure a copyright on.
  • noun The right of an author or his assignee, under statute, to print and publish his literary or artistic work, exclusively of all other persons. This right may be had in maps, charts, engravings, plays, and musical compositions, as well as in books.
  • noun an author's right in his productions as secured by treaty between nations.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun uncountable The right by law to be the entity which determines who may publish, copy and distribute a piece of writing, music, picture or other work of authorship.
  • noun countable Such an exclusive right as it pertains to one or more specific works.
  • verb To place under a copyright.
  • verb To obtain or secure a copyright for some literary or other artistic work.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb secure a copyright on a written work
  • noun a document granting exclusive right to publish and sell literary or musical or artistic work

Etymologies

Sorry, no etymologies found.

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Examples

  • * @copyright (c) 20010 Kamahl djchrisnet wrote: I hope you are alive when the copyright begins xD djchrisnet wrote: I hope you are alive when the copyright begins xD

    phpBB.com Kamahl19 2010

  • * @copyright (c) 20010 Kamahl djchrisnet wrote: I hope you are alive when the copyright begins xD djchrisnet wrote: I hope you are alive when the copyright begins xD

    phpBB.com Kamahl19 2010

  • * @copyright (c) 20010 Kamahl djchrisnet wrote: I hope you are alive when the copyright begins xD djchrisnet wrote: I hope you are alive when the copyright begins xD

    phpBB.com superj707 2010

  • * @copyright (c) 20010 Kamahl djchrisnet wrote: I hope you are alive when the copyright begins xD djchrisnet wrote: I hope you are alive when the copyright begins xD

    phpBB.com gennyna 2010

  • * % copyright% - Any copyright notice included with the feed.

    Digital Point Forums alex190 2010

  • Bartholomew: the expansion of vicarious liability in copyright is bad and was done in ignorance of its pedigree in tort law.

    Archive 2009-01-01 Rebecca Tushnet 2009

  • But the more expanded vicarious liability in copyright is constitutionally problematic.

    Archive 2009-04-01 Rebecca Tushnet 2009

  • The British Library conducted the research because the balance in copyright is being undermined in the digital era

    'Digital is not different' say 93% of UK researchers 2008

  • Intellectual Property Organization, said the draft may be baffling since so far the term copyright has not been applied to cultural heritage because authors of the work in question are long gone.

    ANC Daily News Briefing 2007

  • Maureen Reid of Boca Raton, Florida asks, "when are America CEOs going to realize that the term copyright to China and India means the right to copy whatever they like."

    CNN Transcript Oct 4, 2004 2004

Comments

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  • WeirdNet is a bit out of date with this one; under the Berne Convention copyright is automatic, without needing to be documented.

    November 30, 2007

  • I think it's just wrong, actually. It's not a document--it's the right itself.

    November 30, 2007

  • Yes, that's what I was thinking. A copyright is the right itself.

    November 30, 2007

  • Yeah! Take that, WeirdNet! *jabs*

    November 30, 2007

  • Oh, that reminds me of another fingernail on the chalkboard of my brain - copywrite.

    November 30, 2007

  • Don't go jabbing WeirdNet! There's no telling what might happen! *ducks behind long word*

    November 30, 2007

  • But... arby... that's a real verb, isn't it? Copywriting is a real job! Or do you mean when it's used incorrectly and should be "copyright"?

    November 30, 2007

  • Yeah, that's what I meant. I knew that, I swear!

    *blushes*

    *is tempted to edit previous comment to make self look less ignorant*

    November 30, 2007

  • Of course you knew that--you just meant that when people say copywrite instead of copyright, it's nails on your chalkboard. Write?

    (har! I slay me.)

    November 30, 2007

  • Yeah! Also, ha.

    November 30, 2007

  • According to Gesta Typographica by Chas. Jacobi, 1897, (page 21).

    The United States gives twenty-eight years, with the right of extension for fourteen more; in all, forty-two years. Mexico, Guatemala, and Venezuela, in perpetuity. Colombia and Spain, author’s life and eighty years after. Belgium, Ecuador, Norway, Peru, Russia, and Tunis, author’s life and fifty years after. Italy, author’s life and forty years after; the full term to be eighty years in any event. France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, author’s life and thirty years after. Hayti, author’s life, widow’s life, childrens’ lives, and twenty years after the close of the latest period. Brazil, Sweden, and Roumania, author’s life and ten years after. Great Britain, author’s life and seven years after his decease; to be forty-two years in any event. Bolivia, full term of author’s life. Denmark and Holland, fifty years. Japan, author’s life and five years after. South Africa, author’s life; fifty years in any event.

    I assume that these values have since been superseded by international agreements. Or maybe not.

    May 27, 2009

  • Yes, the term of copyright in the U.S. is much longer now--I think there was a big fat law in 1978 that really overhauled, you know, stuff. Oh, and this comment is ©2009.

    May 27, 2009