Copyright is the exclusive right given to the owner of a copyright for a specific period. Copyright protection in Malaysia is governed by the Copyright Act 1987. There is no system of registration for copyright in Malaysia.

A work that is eligible is protected automatically upon fulfillment of the following conditions:

• sufficient effort has been expected to make the work original in character;
• the work has been written down, recorded or reduced to a material form;
• the author is qualified person or the work is made in Malaysia or the workis first published in Malaysia.