What rights does copyright protect?

• A. Privacy and data rights.
• B. Original works of authorship.
• C. Patents and inventions.
• D. Law and regulations.

Answer: (B)

Copyright protects the expression of human creativity that is fixed in a tangible form. This means original works of authorship—such as novels, songs, films, paintings, software, and architectural plans—are protected, giving the creator exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, or create derivative works. The protection focuses on how something is expressed, not the underlying idea itself. Because of that, it does not cover privacy or data rights, which come from privacy laws and data protection rules; it does not cover patents or inventions, which belong to patent law; and it does not shield laws or regulations themselves (though the specific wording of a document can be copyrighted). The essential point is that copyright protects original expressive works, not the ideas or methods behind them.