Copyright protection is the legal right granted to the creator of creative work to be the exclusive party who can exploit that work. What this means is that if an author, playwright, musician, composer, filmmaker, or distributor registers their work with the copyright office they are the only person who has the right to exploit their work for profit or for distribution. Copyright protection has been instituted to protect the creators of these types of works which are generally referred to as intellectual property. These laws do not cover the creator of a work if they have been hired by another individual or party specifically to create a work. This is what is known as a work made for hire, in which case the person who hired the creator will retain the copyright.

If you have created a work and you would like to seek copyright protection the first place to start is the United States Copyright Office. The U.S. Copyright office is the main legal entity concerned with who owns the rights to a specific work. If you have created a work the best place to start is their website www.copyright.gov where you can find all the necessary information and the different paperwork for each type of copyright registration. Depending on which type of work you have created there are different forms you will have to fill out and you will be required to submit a copy of the original work with the paperwork. They have several different for for...

Literary Works
Visual Arts
Performing Arts
Sound Recordings
Serials/Periodicals

If you have created any of these types of works it is always a good idea to speak with an attorney before beginning the process. An attorney will be familiar with some of the nuances of copyright law and protection that you may or may not be able to get from the copyright offices website.