What does copyright protection not cover?

Copyright protection does not cover facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation because these elements are considered part of the public domain. Copyright is designed to protect the expression of ideas rather than the ideas themselves. This means that while a specific artistic work can be copyrighted—such as a novel or a painting—unprotected are the underlying concepts, facts, or principles that an author or creator may express in various forms. This allows for the free use and sharing of knowledge, enabling innovation and the advancement of culture without legal constraints on the fundamental ideas or factual information.

In contrast, creatively modified ideas, artistic expressions, and musical compositions can be eligible for copyright since they involve a degree of originality and creativity in their expression, which is the core criterion for copyright protection.