Origin: Germanic Old English suffix
Copyright has 4 different meanings across 2 categories:
a document granting exclusive right to publish and sell literary or musical or artistic work
"The publisher refused to release the novel until they received the official copyright confirming their exclusive rights to print and distribute it."
The right by law to be the entity which determines who may publish, copy and distribute a piece of writing, music, picture or other work of authorship.
"The artist transferred her copyright to the publisher so they could officially control how the song is distributed worldwide."
In plain English: Copyright is the legal right that gives an artist or writer control over how their original work is used by others.
"The movie poster displays a copyright notice at the bottom to protect the creators' rights."
Usage: Copyright refers to the legal protection granted to creators of original works, ensuring they control how their writing, music, or art is published and distributed. You use this noun when discussing ownership rights rather than the act of copying something yourself.
To obtain or secure a copyright for some literary or other artistic work.
"The author decided to hire a lawyer to officially register and protect her new novel under copyright law."
In plain English: To copyright something means to officially claim ownership of it so others cannot use it without permission.
"The artist decided to copyright her new song before sharing it online."
Usage: Do not use "copyright" as a verb to mean protecting your own work; that action is automatic upon creation. Instead, use the noun form of the word when referring to legal ownership and avoid saying you will "copyright" something in conversation.
The word copyright is a compound of the words copy and right. It was first used to describe the legal right to make copies of a work.