Legal rights that give creators exclusive ownership of their creative works and control over who can copy or sell them.
From 'copy' (from Latin 'copia' meaning plenty) and 'right' (from Old English 'riht'). The term was invented in the 1700s when printing technology made protecting written works urgent.
Copyright is a surprisingly young concept—it barely existed before the printing press made books reproducible, proving that our modern ideas about ownership are shaped entirely by what technology allows us to copy!
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