Is Your Expertise Copyrightable?

You consistently use your Expertise to create deliverables, workshops, graphics, newsletters, and more. What, if any of it, is protectable from the sticky fingers of competitors?

To be eligible for federal copyright protection, the Work (which means an original work of authorship created by a human and fixed in tangible form) must meet the specific criteria dictated by US Copyright laws. This is referred to as being "copyrightable."

There are several hoops to either jump through (or avoid). The first hoop is whether the Work falls into one of the nine buckets that are covered by copyright protection.

The Work must fall into at least one of the following categories (it can fall into more than one).

• Literary works (not just novels or books, but all works expressed in writing however recorded); includes characters depicted in novels that are sufficiently fleshed out with recognizable physical traits, backstory, or personality traits.

• Musical composition, which consists of the lyrics and underlying music (beat, instrumental).

• Dramatic works and accompanying music (e.g., plays and musicals).

• Choreographic or pantomime works (e.g., the art of imitating or acting out situations and the composition of dance movements and patterns, including those accompanied by music).

• Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works (e.g., paintings, drawings, carvings, photographs).

• Audiovisual works (e.g., live-action movies, animation, television programs, and videogames)

• Sound recordings (e.g., songs, music, podcasts, sounds, and other recordings).

• Architectural works (e.g., buildings themselves as well as blueprints, drawings, diagrams, and models).

• Source code of computer software (which is considered a literary work).

Does your Work fall into one or more of the above categories? Great! Now you need to make sure it can make it through the remaining hoops, including originality, creativity, fixed in tangible medium, and humanity!

​Download the new “Is Your Expertise Copyrightable?” Assessment and find out.

Cheers.💡

Erin