Post by EUIPO - European Union Intellectual Property Office

Happy World Book and Copyright Day!📚 Today we celebrate the power of books and the ideas behind them. Although they might look like they’re only protected by their covers, IP also plays an important role. Copyright protects authors’ work, giving them the ability to control how their creations are shared and ensuring they are recognised around libraries and bookshops. But the story of IP doesn’t end there. Over time, copyright expires and works enter the public domain, where they become part of our shared cultural heritage: free for anyone to read, perform, adapt, and build upon. Fittingly, today also marks the anniversary associated with William Shakespeare, whose works are now in the public domain. Because of that, his plays and poems can be published, staged, translated, and reimagined by anyone around the world, keeping his stories alive more than 400 years later. From protecting creativity to enriching our culture, IP helps ideas travel across generations. Learn all about Copyright on the EUIPO Copyright Knowledge Center https://lnkd.in/dVVAxi4y Happy reading! 📖🌹

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