Library Home: Copyright & Citing Sources: Copyright Clause

Powers of Congress ARTICLE I LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT, Page 330.

According to Copyright.gov,

Copyright is "a form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law
for original works of authorship
fixed in a tangible medium of expression.
Copyright covers both published and unpublished works."

Article 1. Section 8. Clause 8, of the Constitution of the United States (law.cornell.edu)
Excerpt: ...also known as the copyright clause, grants Congress the power "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;"
Powers of Congress ARTICLE I LEGISLATIVE DEPARTMENT, Page 330. (congress.gov)
"This clause is the foundation upon which the national patent and copyright laws rest, although it uses neither of those terms."