What Is Not Copyrightable
Intellectual Property Information Center at Kansas State University Online Tutorial on Copyright Basics
The following is a partial list of items which cannot be copyrighted. (Please see the Copyright Office’s Circular 1 for a complete listing.) You cannot copyright:
- works that have not been fixed in a tangible form of expression (improvisational speeches or performances that have not been written or recorded)
- Works which consist entirely of information that is common property and contain no original authorship (such as height and weight charts or tape measures and rulers)
- Ideas, procedures, concepts, systems, processes or methods of doing something
In general, you cannot copyright names, titles, short phrases, slogans, a mere listing of ingredients, or familiar symbols or designs – but many of these items can be protected by a trademark. For more information, visit the Patent and Trademark Office’s official website.