Intellectual Property

Considerations for Writers

By: Joanna Penn, September 2014

Presented by: Albert S. Lacsamana

Copyright

•Copyright is a legal right, existing in

many countries, that grants the creator
of an original work exclusive rights to
determine whether, and under what
conditions, this original work may be
used by others.
The basics of copyright
• The primary form of IP protection for
authors is copyright. Copyright
protects the work of authors, artists,
and others by giving them exclusive
rights over original works they create to
reproduce a piece and collect income
derived from it.
•After a fixed amount of time, the copyright on a
specific work expires and it slips into the public
domain. Until that time, if someone wants to
use something that's copyright protected, they
need the (ideally written) permission of the
author and may be required to pay to do so.
How do I copyright something?
• Unlike more complex forms of IP protection like
trademarks or patents that require extensive legal
filings, the process of obtaining a copyright on
something you've written is fairly straightforward.
Copyright arises when something original has been
written. Technically, you do not have to apply for
copyright. However, you do need to be able to
document or substantiate your copyright in some
way if you ever need to defend that copyright in a
legal context.
Copyright Ownership
• The holder of copyright is the holder of a bundle of rights:
the right to reproduce, the right to distribute, the right to
exhibit, the right to adapt, and other rights. These are
usually referred to as “economic rights” because they have
to do directly with the economic benefits of copyright. But
aside from economic rights, there are “moral rights” (droit
morale), among these, the right to enjoy the attribution of
authorship. And for many men and women of letters and of
the arts, it is this set of rights that matters more

• - (Fr. Ranhilio Aquino, July 2014)

References
• https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2012/09/07/intellectual-
property/?fbclid=IwAR3K1CgONfv11a_aRQ6BC-IQk_ECxn2vocQ24i-
O7Cmj-M-DEyPPUPIpcPU

• http://manilastandard.net/opinion/columns/pens-es-by-fr-ranhilio-
aquino/138525/plagiarism-and-infringement.html

• Lee A. Hollaar. "Legal Protection of Digital Information". p. Chapter 1:

An Overview of Copyright, Section II.E. Ideas Versus Expression.