HACKER Q&A
📣 Berniek

Do I own the copyright on my logon/password


Since I created the actual name of a logon and the password to go with it do I own their copyright? Do I own the copyright on my email address since I created (or selected) part of it? If so can Google (for instance) use it to create a token or other identifying or anonymizing artifact for their own purposes without my permission?

  👤 greenyoda Accepted Answer ✓
No. A work must meet the criterion of "originality" to be copyrightable:

"Creative work must meet a basic level of originality to be considered the product of an author. Direct copies of someone else’s work can’t be copyrighted, and neither can facts, short phrases, titles, etc. For example, the names and addresses in a phonebook can’t be copyrighted but the photo on its front cover most certainly can."

https://www.newmediarights.org/business_models/artist/ii_wha...

Also, even if you could copyright your password, copyright protects against unauthorized distribution. If Google is merely storing your password, it's not distributing it.

(A single word or phrase, e.g., "Google", can be trademarked, but that specifically involves its use in commerce to identify a brand. But it can't be copyrighted.)