Conditions for copyright protection in the law of the United States of America

Abstract

This paper analyzes various conditions that one spiritual creation must provide in order to be considered an author's work, according to the law of the United States of America. Apart from the peculiarities that are the result of the Anglo-Saxon concept of copyright, there are other specifics such as the special, constitutionally provided, purpose of copyright in promoting learning, preserving the public domain and protecting copyright. Based on the provisions of the Federal Copyright Act (17 U.S.C.) and examples from the case law, the author explains how the originality of a work is interpreted, how the condition that the work must embody in a materialized medium is regulated and what are the typical types of copyrighted works. In addition, the author explains the main differences when it comes to American Copyright system and how the concept of registration is viewed, after the ratification of the Bern Convention, which is one of the most common causes of the problem of protection of works whose right holders are unknown, which is extremely notable when speaking of the protection of cultural heritage of marginalized groups in American society. The paper aims to point out the similarities and differences between the copyright of the USA and the law of the continental legal system in terms of the conditions for the protection of copyright works.