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Synonyms

copyright

American  
[kop-ee-rahyt] / ˈkɒp iˌraɪt /

noun

  1. the exclusive right to make copies, license, and otherwise exploit a literary, musical, or artistic work, whether printed, audio, video, etc.: works granted such right by law on or after January 1, 1978, are protected for the lifetime of an author or creator and for a period of 70 years after their death.


adjective

  1. of or relating to copyrights.

  2. Also copyrighted. protected by copyright.

verb (used with object)

  1. to secure a copyright on.

copyright 1 British  
/ ˈkɒpɪˌraɪt /

noun

  1.  (c).  the exclusive right to produce copies and to control an original literary, musical, or artistic work, granted by law for a specified number of years (in Britain, usually 70 years from the death of the author, composer, etc, or from the date of publication if later)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. (of a work, etc) subject to or controlled by copyright

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to take out a copyright on

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
© 2 British  

symbol

  1. copyright

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

copyright 1 Cultural  
  1. The legal protection given to published works, forbidding anyone but the author from publishing or selling them. An author can transfer the copyright to another person or corporation, such as a publishing company.


copyright 2 Cultural  
  1. A grant of an exclusive right to produce or sell a book, motion picture, work of art, musical composition, software, or similar product during a specified period of time.


Discover More

The symbol (see also symbol) for copyright is ©.

Other Word Forms

  • copyrightable adjective
  • copyrighter noun
  • uncopyrighted adjective

Etymology

Origin of copyright

First recorded in 1725–35; copy + right

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Many have sued AI firms, alleging copyright infringement; in fact, Disney is a plaintiff in some of that litigation.

From Los Angeles Times

Parker Kingfisher and I were on the same side of the debate that a tribe had the right to authorize the use of their name, like with copyright protections.

From Literature

Since the copyright guardrails were fairly loose, videos soon appeared in the feed that pushed the boundaries of taste.

From The Wall Street Journal

Instead of carrying on with the case, Warner Music Group agreed to settle its copyright infringement claims against Suno and for Suno to develop new AI-supported products based on licensed music.

From The Wall Street Journal

At issue was whether cable provider Cox could be held liable for “contributory” copyright infringement merely because it had knowledge that some of its users were pirating music files.

From The Wall Street Journal