Legal Definitions - authorship

Authorship, in legal terms, refers to the act of creating an original work, or the status of being the creator of such a work. It signifies the intellectual origin of a creative expression, which is a fundamental concept in copyright law. The individual or entity recognized as the author typically holds the initial rights to control how the work is used, reproduced, or distributed.

• Example 1: A Novelist Creating a Story

  Imagine a writer named Alex who spends a year developing unique characters, crafting a complex plot, and writing the entire manuscript for a new fantasy novel. Alex meticulously chooses every word and structures every chapter to tell a compelling story.

  This scenario illustrates authorship because Alex's intellectual effort and creative choices in conceiving the story, writing the prose, and arranging the words into a coherent narrative establish him as the author of the novel. Under copyright law, he is recognized as the author because he originated the creative expression, giving him initial ownership of the copyright.

• Example 2: A Software Developer Designing an Application

  Consider a software engineer named Maria who independently designs and writes thousands of lines of unique code to create a new mobile application that helps users learn foreign languages through interactive games.

  Maria's intellectual effort in designing the app's architecture, writing the specific programming instructions, and debugging the code constitutes her authorship of the software. This creative act means she is the author of the original code, and thus the initial copyright holder for that specific application, even though the app performs a functional task.

• Example 3: A Sculptor Creating a Unique Statue

  Picture an artist named Ben who carves a large, intricate statue from a block of marble, conceiving its form, details, and emotional expression entirely from his imagination and skill.

  Ben's creative choices in shaping the marble, defining the statue's pose, and adding unique artistic elements establish his authorship of that particular sculptural work. His original creative input makes him the author, granting him copyright protection for the three-dimensional artwork.