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protection ” ( Shapiro 1045 ). Pursuant to the Progress Clause , Congress may pass federal laws that afford authors exclusive rights to their works for limited times , such as the right to reproduce , adapt , distribute , display , and perform them . In step with this foundational axiom , Section 102 of the Copyright Act of 1976 , set forth in Title 17 of the U . S . Code , provides federal statutory protection for “ original works of authorship ,” as well as ownership of a copyright , which “ vests initially in the author or authors of the work .”
Translating these legal precepts into everyday parlance , the author is essentially the one who actually brings a work into being , rendering an amorphous idea into a fixed , tangible expression that is entitled to copyright protection just by virtue of its having been born . Our founding fathers recognized with a prescience unmatched by any previous system of government that the long-term economic prosperity and advancement of our country ’ s cultural assets was dependent on promoting “ the progress of science and useful arts ,” which necessitates securing these and other exclusive rights to authors who create original music and other works . As such , the author has historically been treated as the hero in the US copyright story , contributing to our massive output of educational and entertainment products�and being remunerated and incentivized to continue in this noble quest ( Reilly , “ Tragedy ” 194 ). Because authors contribute to our vast collective of creative works , they should receive reward in turn for the blood , sweat , and tears attendant to the creative process , just as any other person engaged in a job or career rightly expects . Perhaps more importantly , the rest of the public that enjoys the works of authors should be happy to recognize and reward authors to continue in their noble creative endeavors by affording them control and exclusive profitability from their original works .
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