General rules

While there may be occasional exceptions, the following rules generally apply to copyright:

1. Automatic Protection: When content is published in any medium, such as online or in books, it is automatically protected by copyright laws. This means that the creator of the content holds the copyright unless a different agreement was established (e.g., with a journal publisher or website).

2. Copyright Holder: By default, the creator of the content is the copyright holder, granting them exclusive rights over its use and distribution. However, these rights can be transferred or shared through agreements like licensing (e.g. with Youtube videos) or assignments (e.g. journals).

3. Waiving or Modifying Copyright: Copyrights can be voluntarily waived or modified to make them less restrictive. Creators can choose to renounce certain rights or make their work available under permissive licenses, such as Creative Commons. Additionally, copyrights can expire over time, entering the public domain and becoming freely usable by anyone.