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- Copyrights
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- A copyright protects original works of authorship. In
- the United States this protection gives the owner
- theexclusive right to reproduce the work, prepare
- derivative works, distribute copies, or perform or display
- the work publicly.
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- In the United States, "original works of authorship"
- include literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain
- other intellectual works. A computer program, for example,
- is considered a literary work protected by copyright in the
- United States and in a large and growing number of foreign
- countries.
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- In most countries, the place of first publication
- determines whether copyright protection is available. Some
- countries require certain formalities in order to maintain
- copyright protection. Many other countries, particularly
- member countries of the Berne Union, offer copyright
- protection without these formalities. Still others offer
- little or no protection for the works of foreign nationals.
- Before publishing a work anywhere, it is advisable to
- investigate the scope of protection available as well as
- the specific legal requirements for copyright protection in
- countries in which copyright protection is desired.
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