Final answer:
Copyright is an automatic legal protection for authors of original works, including literary and artistic creations, which prevents unauthorized copying for commercial use and lasts for the author's life plus 70 years.
Step-by-step explanation:
A copyright is a form of legal protection that is automatically provided to the authors of original works of authorship. This includes various types of works such as literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic pieces. Copyright protection ensures that the author's work cannot be copied for commercial purposes without permission, preserving the author's rights to their intellectual property. Furthermore, copyright typically extends for the life of the author plus 70 years after their passing, safeguarding the creator's work for an extensive period.
Original works of authorship that are fixed in a tangible medium of expression automatically receive copyright protection from the moment of their creation. This coverage includes the exclusive rights to reproduce, display, or perform the copyrighted work, thus preventing unauthorized use. In essence, copyright embodies the principle of protecting creators' intellectual efforts and their contribution to culture and knowledge.