What is copyright infringement?

• A. Authorized use of copyrighted material
• B. Unauthorized use of copyrighted material in a way that violates one of the owners' exclusive rights in the copyright
• C. Public domain use is always allowed
• D. Copyright ownership requires registration

Answer: (B)

Copyright infringement happens when someone uses a protected work without permission in a way that violates one of the copyright owner’s exclusive rights—like reproducing, distributing, performing, displaying, or creating derivative works. Infringement means the use is unauthorized and falls outside any license or fair-use exception; fair use is a defense, not a blanket permission.

The other statements miss the core idea: using something with permission isn’t infringement; works in the public domain can be used without copyright protection, though other legal considerations can apply; and copyright protection doesn’t require registration—ownership arises automatically upon fixation.