noun
copyright
KO-pee-ryt
noun
1
The legal right to control who may reproduce, publish, or distribute a creative work.
"The author retains copyright on all her novels."
"Using the photo without permission could be a copyright violation."
verb
1
To secure legal copyright protection for a work.
"They copyrighted the song before releasing it."
How to Use Copyright
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe legal protection that stops others from copying or using your creative work without permission.
Common mistake
Copyright protects the specific expression of an idea, not the underlying idea itself.
Common pairings
copyright infringement
copyright law
hold the copyright
Word Forms
copyrighted past tense, copyrights plural, copyrights singular
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The author retains _____ on all her novels.
Etymology
From copy plus right, referring to the legal right over how a copy of a work is made and used.