Copyright law grants creators exclusive rights over their original works for a limited time period to promote innovation. It protects the expression of ideas but not the ideas themselves. Major developments include the Statute of Anne in 1710, the US Constitution in 1789, and the Copyright Act of 1976 which established "fair use" and terms of life plus 70 years after the author's death. Key issues are copyrightability, ownership, exclusive rights and limitations such as fair use, infringement, and available remedies.