What does copyright mean?
Word: Copyright
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Copyright means the legal right to be the only one who may copy, print, sell or share a book, song, film or picture.
How do you spell copyright?
Syllables: cop - y - right
Tricky part: The second half is right, as in having a right, not write, even though the word is about printed and written work.
Watch out for: copywright, copyrite, copyrigt
Memory tip: It is the RIGHT to make copies of a work, not something you write.
Copyright in a sentence
Example 1: The author holds the copyright to her storybook.
Example 2: You cannot sell copies of a film without permission from the copyright owner.
Example 3: Look at the copyright line on the back of the title page to see when a book first came out.
Fun Fact
One of the first copyright laws, the Statute of Anne, came into force in Britain in 1710.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Makeup
Choose the correctly spelt compound word:
a) lighthouce
b) copyright
c) rainbo
d) waterfal
Show answer
b) copyright. Waterfal is short of an l, lighthouce has c for s and rainbo has lost its w, so copyright is the only one written correctly.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) publisher
b) coppyright
c) author
d) library
Show answer
b) coppyright. One p is enough here; doubling it is a slip children carry over from words like happy.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
ghirtypoc
a) copyright
b) playwright
c) outright
d) typewriter
Show answer
a) copyright. Only copyright uses a c; playwright needs an l, a w and an a, typewriter a w and an e, and outright a u.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
c_p_right
a) u, y
b) a, y
c) o, y
d) o, i
Show answer
c) o, y. The first beat has the short o of hot, and the second beat is a y that sounds like ee.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Who usually owns the copyright of a new song?
a) the person who wrote it
b) the first person to buy it
c) the radio station that plays it
d) the shop that sells the song
Show answer
a) the person who wrote it
2. Which sign is often used to show copyright?
a) an r inside a circle
b) a c inside a circle
c) a star inside a circle
d) a tick inside a box
Show answer
b) a c inside a circle
