Which statement about copyright protection is accurate?

Which statement about copyright protection is accurate?

• A. Registration is required for copyright protection
• B. Copyright exists only after publication
• C. Copyright lasts 10 years
• D. You can have copyright without registration; registration is not required for protection

Answer: (D)

Copyright protection comes into play as soon as an original work is fixed in a tangible form. You don’t need to register to have rights in the work, so protection exists automatically upon creation and fixation. Registration is optional and mainly affects what you can do in court—such as pursuing infringement claims or qualifying for certain damages—rather than creating the rights themselves. That’s why the statement that you can have copyright without registration and that registration isn’t required for protection is accurate. The other options miss how protection starts or how long it lasts: protection isn’t limited to after publication, and it doesn’t last a flat 10 years but much longer (often the author’s lifetime plus many years).

Copyright protection comes into play as soon as an original work is fixed in a tangible form. You don’t need to register to have rights in the work, so protection exists automatically upon creation and fixation. Registration is optional and mainly affects what you can do in court—such as pursuing infringement claims or qualifying for certain damages—rather than creating the rights themselves. That’s why the statement that you can have copyright without registration and that registration isn’t required for protection is accurate. The other options miss how protection starts or how long it lasts: protection isn’t limited to after publication, and it doesn’t last a flat 10 years but much longer (often the author’s lifetime plus many years).