Under US copyright law, creative works are automatically protected and the creator retains all legal rights unless they grant them to others. Including “all rights reserved” serves as a reminder of ownership and warns against unauthorized use. The copyright holder has the right to reproduce, license, and create derivative works, but may grant specific rights to others. The phrase is not required for protection, but emphasizes awareness of copyright laws and the need for written consent for lawful use.
Under current United States copyright laws, any creative work is automatically protected from the moment it is first published, performed, or produced. This means that the creator of the work must be recognized as the rightful owner when it comes to the fair use of that work by others. Essentially, the writer of a novel or the sculptor of a statue retains all legal rights to that work unless or until he decides to grant some of those rights to others. A common way to establish these rights is to include the phrase all rights reserved somewhere on the work itself. It’s quite common for film producers to include the phrase as part of the film’s credits, for example, and publishers may even include it on one of the front pages of a novel. The phrase serves as a reminder to others that the original creator of the work still owns all rights to the material.
Some of the rights reserved by the copyright holder include the right to reproduce the work, to license others to use the material, and to create derivative works. “Derivative works” include making a movie based on a novel or composing a song based on a published poem. The original creator reserves the right to do all of these things and more, but in reality he’s more likely to give others specific rights to the material. For example, the publisher of a popular rock song might grant a commercial producer the right to use the song in an advertisement. A painter could also grant reproduction rights to a print shop designated to produce posters.
The phrase all rights reserved must not appear at all on a published work for the creator to receive copyright protection. Many artists and producers use it as a warning to those who may be considering unauthorized use of that material or creation. By emphasizing that all rights are still held or reserved by the original creator, the phrase establishes an awareness of current copyright laws and an implied willingness to pursue legal action if those rights are violated. This would be the equivalent of a restaurant owner making a sign stating his right to refuse service to anyone. The phrase does not necessarily mean that the work may never be used by others for legitimate or artistic purposes, but it does mean that the copyright holder must provide written consent before the work can be lawfully used.
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