Copyright is a legal right created by the law of a country, which grants the creator of the original work the exclusive right to use and distribute it. This is usually only for a limited period of time. The exclusive right is not absolute, but limited by copyright law (including reasonable use) and exceptions. The main limitation of copyright is that copyright only protects the original expression of ideas, but not the basic ideas themselves.

Copyright is a form of intellectual property, which is applicable to some forms of creative works. Some, but not all, jurisdictions require that copyrighted work be "fixed" in a tangible form. It is usually shared by multiple authors. Each author has a set of rights to use or license the work, and it is usually called the obligee. These rights usually include reproduction, control over derivative works, distribution, public performances and "spiritual rights" such as attribution.

Copyrights are considered regional rights, which means that they do not extend beyond a particular jurisdiction. Although many aspects of national copyright law have been standardized through international copyright agreements, copyright law varies from country to country.

Generally, the term of copyright spans the author's life, plus 50 to 100 years (that is, copyright usually expires 50 to 100 years after the author's death, depending on the jurisdiction). Some countries require certain forms of copyright to establish copyright, but most countries recognize copyright in all completed works without formal registration. Generally, copyright is enforced as a civil case, although some jurisdictions do impose criminal sanctions.

Most jurisdictions recognize copyright restrictions, allow "fair" exceptions to the exclusive rights of creators, and give users certain rights. The development of digital media and computer network technology prompted people to reinterpret these exceptions, introduce new difficulties in copyright protection, and stimulate other challenges in the philosophical basis of copyright law. At the same time, companies that rely heavily on copyright economically, such as those in the music industry, advocate the expansion and expansion of copyright and seek further legal and technical enforcement.