A copyright is a legal right granted to the creator of an original work. The type of work could be writing, music, art, film, software, photography, illustration, etc. The copyright protects the creator’s control over how their work is used, copied, distributed, displayed, or adapted.
Usually, copyrights give the holder exclusive rights for a specific period. These rights apply to original, tangible works, not facts or ideas.
The copyright holder has the rights to reproduce, distribute, display (publicly perform), and create derivative works.
Copyrights are automatic, meaning they are given to the creator of the work upon creation. Usually, there is no need to patent the work in order to get rights. Of course, different countries have different laws, and in places like the USA, in some cases patent is necessary.
One more important element of copyrights is that they are transferable. The creator could either sell their exclusive rights or license someone else to also be able to profit from their work.