If someone independently comes up with the same idea as yours, what is the impact on copyright?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

When evaluating copyright implications, it's important to separate ideas from expression and to recognize the role of originality in protection.
Option a: 'You must share copyright with the second person.' This is misleading because copyright protection arises automatically for original expressions, not for ideas themselves. Sharing copyright typically requires a formal agreement or joint authorship, which is not indicated here; merely arriving at a similar idea independently does not require sharing all rights.
Option b: 'The second person’s work is protected by copyright if expressed in an original way, but does not infringe on your copyright.' This statement aligns with the general rule in copyright law: independent creation of a work that is similar in idea but expressed differently can be protected as its own original work, and unless there is substantial similarity in protected expression, there is typically no infringement. The key is that the second person’s expression must be original and not a direct copy of your expression.
Option c: 'The second person’s work is automatically infringing on your copyright.' This is incorrect because infringement requires copying or substantially deriving from the protected expression. If the second person independently creates a work that shares ideas but not the protected expression, it is generally not infringing. The mere coincidence of ideas does not equal infringement.
In summary, option b correctly captures the nuance that original independent expression is protected, but it does not infringe on your copyright unless there is unauthorized copying of your protected material. The other options misstate how copyright ownership and infringement work, conflating ideas with expression and assuming automatic sharing or automatic infringement without considering independence of creation.

FIT1049_S2_2025 Quiz W8 [Individual | 0.6%]

If someone independently comes up with the same idea as yours, what is the impact on copyright?

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