Copyrights provide protection to authors of original works. Protectable works include literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, whether published or unpublished. U.S. Copyright laws give the owner of the copyright the exclusive right to do "and to authorize others to do" the following:

• Reproduce the work
• Prepare derivative works
• Distribute copies of the work
• Perform the work publicly
• Display the work publicly

Some limitations and exemptions exist that allow others to perform the actions above without violating the owner’s exclusive rights.