What does copyright protection do?

Copyright protection specifically safeguards the original expression of ideas rather than the ideas themselves. This means that it grants the creator exclusive rights over their creative works, such as literature, music, art, and other forms of expression, as long as these works are original and tangible. For example, a novel's storyline or a song's melody is protected by copyright, but the underlying themes or concepts are not. This ensures that the creator can control how their work is used, distributed, and reproduced, thereby preventing unauthorized use by others.

The other options, while related to aspects of intellectual property, do not accurately describe the scope of copyright. Ideas, inventions, and brand indicators are protected under different forms of intellectual property laws, such as patents for inventions and trademarks for branding, rather than copyright. Thus, the focus of copyright is solely on protecting the unique expression found in creative works.