Copyright applies once the work is put into a fixed form (e.g. written down on paper, saved on a computer, recorded, or painted on canvas) except for a sound recording, performer’s performance or communication signal (which may be transmitted instead of fixed). The work does not have to be in its final form – copyright applies to drafts, too.
Copyright applies to a wide range of works, from published and unpublished books, articles, photographs, charts, manuals and graphs, to CDs, DVDs, software, and the contents of databases and websites.
