Understanding the Difference Between Copyrighted and Copywritten

Copyrighted vs. Copywritten

Today, we will learn about two words: copyrighted and copywritten. These words are different, and we will look at what they mean, how they started, and how to use them.

History

Copyrighted comes from the word “copyright.” “Copyright” is a law word. This law keeps your work safe. If you make something, like a story, picture, or song, it is your copyright.

Copywritten comes from the words “copy” and “write.” It means writing words, like for an ad or a website. People who write these are called copywriters.

How To Use Them

You use copyrighted when you talk about something protected by law, like books or music.

You use copywritten when you talk about writing words for ads or selling things.

Trick To Remember The Difference

Think of copyrighted as “right to copy.” It is about law. Think of copywritten as “write to sell.” It is about making ads.

Examples of Copyrighted

• The book was copyrighted in 2020.
• Her song is copyrighted.
• The photo has a copyright notice.
• He cannot use copyrighted music.
• The movie is copyrighted.

Examples of Copywritten

• The ad was copywritten by Emily.
• His job is to write copy.
• She copywrites for websites.
• The letter was copywritten for the company.
• They need new words copywritten for the product.

Summary

Copyrighted means the work is protected by law.

Copywritten means someone wrote the words for selling or ads.