A Copyright is a form of protection provided by the lndian state to the creators of "original works of authorship," including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. A copyright owner has the exclusive right to reproduce the work, to distribute copies of the work, to perform or display the work publicly, and to prepare derivative works.

Copyright protects the expression of an idea or subject matter, but it does not protect the idea or a subject matter itself. For example, one could copyright a book about a group of people surviving on a deserted island; however, that would not prevent others from writing about a similar subject, so long as the name and description of the characters, the circumstances of their isolation and specific plot twists are different.

Many people confuse a copyright with a trademark. A copyright protects an artistic work from being copied, while a trademark protects a name, phrase or logo used in connection with the sale of goods or services. Most trademarks are single words or short phrases which cannot be copyrighted. However, a logo or design with artistic elements could be both copyrighted and trademarked.