Copyright Law

Copyright protects artistic expression. Copyright does not protect useful articles, or objects with some useful functionality. The Copyright Act states: A "useful article" is an article having an intrinsic utilitarian function that is not merely to portray the appearance of the article or to convey information.

There are many other things specifically not protected by copyright, including cooking recipes, fashion designs, titles and slogans, domain names, band names, genetic code, and “useful articles” that have a utilitarian function (like a lamp).