What is provided by copyright law?

Copyright law is designed to protect original works of authorship, providing legal rights to creators over the expressions of their ideas. This means that when an individual creates a piece of work—such as a book, music, film, software, or artwork—copyright law grants them the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, perform, and display that work. This legal protection incentivizes creativity by ensuring that creators can benefit from their innovations and control how their works are used.

In contrast, trademarks and patents, which are covered by other legal frameworks, address different areas of intellectual property. Trademarks protect brand names and logos, while patents focus on inventions and processes. The exclusive rights to sell physical goods is not a function of copyright law but relates more to ownership and distribution rights. Protection against online piracy can be a consequence of copyright enforcement, but it is not the primary legal framework that copyright law establishes. Thus, the correct understanding of copyright is centered on safeguarding the expression of ideas rather than the broader concepts encapsulated in the other options.