as in patent
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
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Recent Examples of copyright
The posts were hit with copyright notices, but the film already has gone viral, with other users sharing it.
—
Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2026
To make matters worse, Motown had the copyright to the Jackson 5 name.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2026
Conway was just as skeptical of McMillan’s copyright infringement claim.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 21 Apr. 2026
The sponsor retains responsibility for the content and holds the copyright to their material.
—Phan Khang, Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for copyright
Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 24 Apr. 2026
To make matters worse, Motown had the copyright to the Jackson 5 name.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2026
Conway was just as skeptical of McMillan’s copyright infringement claim.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 21 Apr. 2026
The sponsor retains responsibility for the content and holds the copyright to their material.
—Phan Khang, Mercury News, 20 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for copyright
Recent Examples of Synonyms for copyright
patent
Noun
-
University of Birmingham Enterprise has filed a patent for the use of BNCF catalysts in low-temperature water-splitting.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
3 May 2026
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The style, which retails for $945, is currently available in a silver metallic iteration and a patent red version on the label’s website.—
Maggie Clancy,
Footwear News,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Copyright.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/copyright. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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