What is copyright? What kind of work is copyrighted? Copyright ownership grants the owner the exclusive right to use the work, with certain exceptions. When a person creates an original work fixed on a physical medium, he automatically owns the copyright for that work. There are many types of businesses eligible for copyright protection, for example: Audiovisual works, such as television shows, movies and videos on the Internet Sound recordings and musical compositions Visual works, such as paintings, posters, and advertisements Video games and computer software Dramatic works, such as plays and musicals