What is Not Protected by Copyright Law?

It is well established that copyright protection extends to literary, musical, dramatic, pictorial, graphic and sculptural works, motion pictures, sound records and architectural work. There are several categories of work that are not eligible for copyright protection, including titles, names, phrases or slogans; listings of ingredients or contents; ideas, methods, processes and systems. Titles, names, phrases or slogans may be eligible for trademark protection and ideas, methods, processes and systems may be eligible for patent protection. On the other hand, consider recipes the list of ingredients cannot be protected and it is even questionable whether copyright protection will extend to the instructions. That determination depends on whether there is substantial literary expression in the instructions. —Nicole J. Harrell