Copyright protects “original works of authorship” that are fixed in a tangible form of expression.  Copyrightable works include the following categories:

• literary works
• musical works, including any accompanying words
• dramatic works, including any accompanying music
• pantomimes and choreographic works
• pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works
• motion pictures and other audiovisual works
• sound recordings
• architectural works

These categories should be viewed broadly.  For example, computer programs and most “compilations” may be registered as “literary works”; maps and architectural plans may be registered as “pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works.”

To be copyrightable, the work must be fixed in a "tangible form of expression."  That is, the work must be more than just an idea; the work must be written or recorded.  This is because copyright protects the form of expression and not the underlying idea or subject matter.  Put another way, copyright does not protect an idea itself because that would prevent others from expressing the idea in their own original works.

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