 Have you ever used an online image in your assignment? Maybe you've posted your original work on social media. As a student, you're likely to use and create works that are protected by copyright. What is copyright? Copyright is the exclusive legal right of the copyright holder to copy, adapt, distribute, or perform all or portions of the original creative works. In Canada, we have the Copyright Act which defines the legal rights of creators and users of copyrighted materials. In some cases, you must legally get permission from the copyright holder before using their work. Copyright is automatic and is applied once a creator puts their ideas in a fixed format, such as a website, a photo, or an article. This means that a copyright symbol is not required to indicate that the work is copyrighted. What is protected by copyright? Copyright protects original creative works whether they are in a physical or online format. This includes literary works such as online articles, artistic or visual works such as graphs, musical works such as song recordings, and audio-visual works such as movies. As a student, copyright plays an important role in your studies. Many of your course resources are likely to be protected by copyright. Respecting copyright is not just about following the law, it's also a part of good scholarly practice. Copyright also benefits you. If you've ever taken a photo, written an essay, or created other original works, this means that you're likely to hold copyright. As a creator, you have exclusive legal rights and can define how you want your work to be used. Copyright is a complex topic and rules can vary based on the material. Check out the next section of the Copyright for Students tutorial where we'll take a closer look at copyright, using copyrighted materials in your courses, and other related topics.