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Circular 31

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Ideas, Methods, 

or Systems

What Is Not Protected by Copyright

Copyright law does not protect ideas, methods, or systems. Copyright protection is therefore not available for ideas or procedures for doing, making, or 

building things; scientific or technical methods or discoveries; business operations or procedures; mathematical principles; formulas or algorithms; or any 

other concept, process, or method of operation.

Section 102 of the Copyright Act (title 17 of the U.S. Code) clearly expresses 

this principle: “In no case does copyright protection for an original work of 

authorship extend to any idea, procedure, process, system, method of operation, 

concept, principle, or discovery, regardless of the form in which it is described, 

explained, illustrated, or embodied in such work.”

Inventions are subject matter for patents, not copyrights. For information 

about patent laws, contact

Commissioner for Patents

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

P.O. Box 1450

Alexandria, VA 22313-1450

(800) 786-9199

www.uspto.gov

What Is Protected by Copyright

Copyright protection extends to a description, explanation, or illustration of 

an idea or system, assuming that the requirements of copyright law are met. 

Copyright in such a case protects the particular literary or pictorial expression 

chosen by the author. But it gives the copyright owner no exclusive rights in the 

idea, method, or system involved.

Suppose, for example, that an author writes a book explaining a new system 

for food processing. The copyright in the book, which comes into effect at the 

moment the work is fixed in a tangible form, prevents others from copying or 

distributing the text and illustrations describing the author’s system. But it will 

not give the author any right to prevent others from adapting the system itself 

for commercial or other purposes or from using any procedures, processes, or 

methods described in the book.
U. S. Copyright Office · Library of Congress · 101 Independence Avenue SE · Washington, DC 20559 · www.copyright.gov

Ideas, Methods, or Systems · 2

No Comparative Searches

The Copyright Office does not compare deposit copies or 

check registration records to determine whether works submitted for registration are similar to any material for which 

a copyright has already been registered. The records of the 

Copyright Office may contain any number of registrations 

for works describing or illustrating the same idea, method, 

or system.

For Further Information

By Internet

Circulars, announcements, regulations, application forms, 

and other related materials are available from the Copyright 

Office website at www.copyright.gov. Claims to copyright can 

also be registered online at this address. 

By Telephone

For general information about copyright, call the Copyright 

Public Information Office at (202) 707-3000 or 1-877-476-

0778 (toll free). Staff members are on duty from 8:30 am to 

5:00 pm, eastern time, Monday through Friday, except federal 

holidays. Recorded information is available 24 hours a day. 

To request paper application forms or circulars, call (202) 

707-9100 or 1-877-476-0778 and leave a recorded message. 

By Regular Mail

Write to:

Library of Congress

Copyright Office-COPUBS

101 Independence Avenue SE

Washington, DC 20559

circular 31 reviewed: 01 ⁄ 2012 Printed on recycled paper u.s. government printing office: 2012-•••-•••⁄••,•••