Which statement accurately describes copyright?

Which statement accurately describes copyright?

• A. The exclusive right to copy, distribute, and profit from a work
• B. The right to modify a work without permission
• C. The right to own every copy of a work
• D. The right to claim authorship for derivative works

Answer: (A)

Copyright protects a creator’s control over their original work, giving them the exclusive rights to reproduce the work, distribute copies, display or perform it publicly, and to create derivative works. It also allows the owner to license these rights and to monetize the work. That’s why the statement describing an exclusive right to copy, distribute, and profit from a work aligns best with what copyright does: it grants the creator control over how the work is used and how it earns income. Think of copyright as the permission slip for how a work can be used and sold. Modifying a work without permission isn’t allowed because creating derivative works is one of those exclusive rights. Owning a copy of a work is different from owning the rights to use or profit from it, and claiming authorship for derivative works isn’t an automatic right—you generally need to be the original creator or have permission.

Copyright protects a creator’s control over their original work, giving them the exclusive rights to reproduce the work, distribute copies, display or perform it publicly, and to create derivative works. It also allows the owner to license these rights and to monetize the work. That’s why the statement describing an exclusive right to copy, distribute, and profit from a work aligns best with what copyright does: it grants the creator control over how the work is used and how it earns income.

Think of copyright as the permission slip for how a work can be used and sold. Modifying a work without permission isn’t allowed because creating derivative works is one of those exclusive rights. Owning a copy of a work is different from owning the rights to use or profit from it, and claiming authorship for derivative works isn’t an automatic right—you generally need to be the original creator or have permission.