Copyright

IP

The exclusive right of an author or creator to reproduce, distribute, and display their original works.

Sources

1. World Intellectual Property Organization — Copyright wipo.int accessed 23 September 2026

WIPO: “Copyright (or author’s right) is a legal term used to describe the rights that creators have over their literary and artistic works.” The range is wide — “literary works such as novels, poems, plays, reference works, newspaper articles; computer programs, databases; films, musical compositions, and choreography; artistic works such as paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculpture; architecture; and advertisements, maps, and technical drawings.” And the point most often misunderstood: “in the majority of countries, and according to the Berne Convention, copyright protection is obtained automatically without the need for registration or other formalities”, though “most countries nonetheless have a system in place to allow for the voluntary registration of works”.

WIPO’s own wording. Terms of protection, exceptions and the treatment of AI-generated material vary by country and are not covered here; this estate’s AI explainer covers the US position separately.

Related terms

• Compulsory Licensing
• Data Exclusivity
• EUIPO
• European Patent Office
• Patent
• Trademark

From the AJG lexicon archive (July 2026).