plural copyrights
: the legal right to be the only one to reproduce, publish, and sell a book, musical recording, etc., for a certain period of time
His family still holds the copyright to his songs.
laws that protect copyrights
The book is under copyright.
copyrights; copyrighted; copyrighting
: to get a copyright for a book, musical recording, etc., for a certain period of time
He has copyrighted all of his plays.
These are copyrighted materials.
always used before a noun
1
: of or relating to a copyright
copyright law/infringement
copyright protection
The copyright date is 2005.
2
: not allowed to be copied without permission from the author, composer, etc.
copyright material
Cite this Entry
“Copyright.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/copyright. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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