Legal Definitions - literary property

Literary property refers to the written works of an author that give them the right to use their work, publish it, and sell or license it for profit to others who can then publish it. This includes books, articles, poetry, movie scripts, computer programs, and any other writing that can be published or used.

For example, if an author writes a book, they have the literary property rights to that book, which means they can decide how it is published and who can publish it. If someone else wants to publish the book, they must obtain permission from the author and pay them for the right to do so.

It is important for writers to mark their work as copyrighted to protect their literary property and profits from it.

In some cases, there may be a close question about what constitutes literary property. For instance, if a professional writer sends letters to others, they may not be considered literary property if they were intended to be personal communications. However, in some cases, such as with J.D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye, letters may be considered literary property and subject to copyright protection.