Which kinds of creative works can receive copyright protection?

Under intellectual-property law, copyright protection is generally granted to original works of authorship that are fixed in a tangible medium of expression. While specific legal definitions can vary by jurisdiction, the Berne Convention broadly protects every production in the literary, scientific, and artistic domains, regardless of the mode of expression.12

Common categories of protected works include:

• Literary and Written Works: Books, pamphlets, lectures, addresses, sermons, and other writings.21
• Dramatic and Musical Works: Musical compositions, dramatic or dramatico-musical works, and choreographic works.21
• Visual and Graphic Arts: Drawings, paintings, sculptures, engravings, lithography, illustrations, and architectural works.21
• Audiovisual and Digital Works: Motion pictures, sound recordings, and computer programs.21
• Technical and Scientific Materials: Geographical charts, plans, sketches, and plastic works relative to geography, topography, or science.2
• Derivative Works: Translations, adaptations, arrangements of music, and other reproductions in an altered form.21

It is important to note that copyright protects the expression of ideas rather than the ideas themselves; therefore, items such as facts, scientific theorems, or short phrases are generally not eligible for protection and remain in the public domain.3