elementscopyright
Elementscopyright is a term used in discussions of copyright law to describe the protection that may extend to individual, discrete components of a larger copyrighted work. The idea is that certain elements—such as a distinctive character design, a unique interface widget, a short musical phrase, or a standalone software module—can be subject to copyright separate from the overall work if they qualify as original and independently fixable expressions.
In practice, copyright typically protects expression rather than ideas or utilitarian aspects. Whether a specific element
Enforcement and licensing considerations follow from its uncertain formal status. Users generally need permission to reuse
See also: copyright, derivative works, fair use, licensing, design rights, database rights.