Why it matters

• Copyright is automatic and free: the moment an original work is created and recorded — a photo taken, a song written, a video edited, a design saved — copyright exists in most countries without registration, and in New Zealand the Copyright Act 1994 protects original works for the life of the author plus 50 years (longer in many other countries).
• Ownership has three honest exceptions: work created by an employee during employment usually belongs to the employer, commissioned work can belong to the commissioner depending on the category, and anything you create that copies someone else's substantial part is not yours at all — so the first question about any project is where the underlying material came from.
• Using other people's work needs permission or an exception: licensing (including Creative Commons), fair dealing or fair use exceptions for limited purposes, and public domain status are the legitimate routes — while downloading an image or track and posting it because it was easy is the most common way creators get takedown notices and legal letters.
• Protection is a habit, not paperwork: keep original files with dates, register the big items where registration exists, use watermarks and metadata sensibly, and keep the receipts and licences for anything you commissioned — and if someone steals your work, the first response is a calm written takedown or licence request, with legal help if a real dispute develops.

Your checklist

• Know what you own: original work you created yourself (not as an employee) is yours from the moment it exists.
• Check the provenance of everything you use: images, music, fonts and clips need permission, a licence or a genuine exception.
• Keep a simple archive of originals with dates and drafts — your best evidence if ownership is ever questioned.
• Record licences and receipts for commissioned work, and read the licence terms before you buy.
• Use your own work visibly: watermark, metadata and a clear credit line make copying harder and proving easier.
• If someone uses your work without permission, respond in writing first — a calm takedown request resolves most cases without lawyers; the creator.phyrenix.com hub covers the creative side of the work.

❓ Copyright Basics for Creators: What Is Yours — FAQ

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