Copyright is the legal term, which describes the rights given to authors/creators of certain categories of work. Copyright protection extends to the following works:

• original literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works,
• sound recordings, films,
• broadcasts, cable programmes,
• the typographical arrangement of published editions,
• computer programmes,
• original databases.

Rights are not restricted just to the creators of the works themselves but certain other rights may apply. For example, the record company has certain rights in a sound recording of the performance of a song, in addition the author(s) of the lyrics and the music will also have certain copyrights. Similarly performing artists have certain rights in their performances. The legislation also provides for moral rights, such as the right to be acknowledged as the author of a particular work and also the right to object to derogatory treatment of that work.