When discussing this topic, we first need to be clear about the definition of copyright law. Copyright law in the United States is governed by a federal statute known as the Copyright Act of 1976. Copyright law prevents unauthorized copying of an author's work. However, only copying of the work is prohibited - anyone can copy the ideas contained in work (Bitlaw, 2022).

U.S. copyright law provides copyright owners with the exclusive right to make copies of works or sound recordings, to prepare derivative works based on the results, to distribute copies of works or sound recordings to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership or by rental, lease or loan, etc. Copyright law protects the right of an author, artist, or other creators who crea@te a work to control when and how their work is copied and distributed and to prevent others from misappropriating that work without permission. Copyright protects someone's ability to profit from their creative work, but this protection is not absolute. Anyone who attempts to copy, distribute, display, perform, or make derivative works of a copyrighted work without the copyright owner's permission violates copyright, regardless of whether the work is registered with the U.S. Copyright Office or carries a copyright notice. Copyright law protects the fundamental rights that citizens should enjoy and gives them a sense of stability, which are very important (Kroeck, 2016).

Que1) What do copyright laws protect?