Legal Definitions - composite work

A composite work refers to a collection of individual, pre-existing creative works that are assembled into a larger whole. While the individual works within the collection may have their own separate copyrights and authors, the *selection, arrangement, and coordination* of these works by the compiler or editor can be considered an original work of authorship in itself, and thus eligible for its own copyright protection. The copyright for a composite work typically covers only the original elements contributed by the compiler, not the underlying individual works themselves.

Here are some examples to illustrate this concept:

• Anthology of Short Stories

  Scenario: An editor compiles "The Best Modern American Short Stories of 2023," selecting twenty stories from various authors published throughout the year. The editor then arranges these stories in a specific thematic order and writes an introduction for the collection.

  Illustration: Each short story in the anthology is an independent work, copyrighted by its original author. However, the editor's unique process of selecting which stories to include (out of potentially hundreds), arranging them in a specific sequence, and coordinating their presentation within a single volume creates a new, original work—the anthology itself. The copyright for the anthology would protect the editor's specific selection, arrangement, and original introductory text, separate from the individual authors' copyrights in their respective stories.

• Curated Art Exhibition Catalog

  Scenario: A museum curator designs an exhibition titled "Faces of the City," bringing together photographs, paintings, and sculptures from dozens of different artists, all depicting urban life. The museum then publishes a catalog featuring high-quality images of these artworks, along with the curator's introductory essay, detailed descriptions for each piece, and a specific layout.

  Illustration: Each photograph, painting, and sculpture is an individual work created by a specific artist. The catalog becomes a composite work because the curator's original contribution lies in the thoughtful selection of which artworks to include, the artistic arrangement of these images and accompanying texts on the pages, and the overall coordination of the catalog's design and content to convey a specific theme. The museum holds the copyright for this specific compilation and its original elements (like the essay and captions), separate from the artists' copyrights in their individual artworks.

• Academic Textbook with Multiple Contributors

  Scenario: A university professor edits a comprehensive textbook titled "Foundations of Environmental Law," which includes chapters written by different legal scholars, each specializing in a particular area like clean air regulations, water rights, or endangered species protection. The professor writes the overall introduction, organizes the chapters into logical sections, and ensures a consistent style and tone throughout the book.

  Illustration: Each chapter contributed by a different scholar is a distinct, individual work. The textbook as a whole is a composite work because the professor's original effort in selecting the contributing authors, coordinating their contributions, and arranging the chapters in a coherent and pedagogical sequence creates a new, copyrightable entity. The professor (or the publisher) holds the copyright for the compilation, which protects the overall structure, selection, and arrangement of the content, while the individual authors retain copyright in their respective chapters.