copyright

The word “copyright” means the legal right to control who may reproduce, publish, or distribute a creative work. In plain terms, the legal protection that stops others from copying or using your creative work without permission.

“Copyright” is pronounced KO-pee-ryt (/ˈkɑpiˌɹaɪt/ in IPA).

Here is “copyright” used in a sentence: “The author retains copyright on all her novels.”

Depending on how it is used, “copyright” can be a noun and a verb.

“Copyright” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Copyright” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the legal right to control who may reproduce, publish, or distribute a creative work.

"Copyright" protects creative works such as books, music, and art by controlling who may reproduce, publish, or distribute them. A "trademark" protects brand identifiers like names, logos, and slogans that distinguish one company's goods from another's.

"Copyright" covers original creative and artistic works and the right to copy them. A "patent" protects inventions, such as new products, processes, or technical methods, rather than creative expression.

The correct spelling is "copyright," from the legal right to copy a work. "Copywrite" is a common mistake and is not standard; the related term "copywriting" means writing advertising or marketing text, which is unrelated to legal copyright.

Yes. As a verb, "to copyright" means to secure legal copyright protection for a work, as in "she copyrighted her songs." As a noun, it names the legal right itself.