Copyright is copyright, which refers to the rights (including property rights and personal rights) enjoyed by authors of literary, artistic and scientific works. There are two ways to obtain copyright: automatic acquisition and registration acquisition. In China, according to the copyright law, works automatically enjoy copyright after completion. The so-called completion is relative, as long as the object of creation has met the statutory conditions for the composition of the work, it can be protected by copyright law as a work.

Theoretically, according to different properties, copyright can be divided into copyright and neighboring rights. Simply put, copyright is aimed at people who create related spiritual products, while the concept of neighboring rights is aimed at participants in related industries who perform or help spread the carrier of works, such as performers, producers of audio-visual products, radio and television stations, publishing houses and so on.

The right of publication is the main right enjoyed by written works and some artistic works, and it is also one of the rights enjoyed by works such as drama and music. Strictly speaking, publication is a way of reproduction, which is included in the right of reproduction. However, in all kinds of reproduction modes, publishing occupies the most important position.

Publishing in the sense of copyright must meet two conditions:

First, it must be published in the form of making copies with the consent of the author;

Second, the relevant works must be copied in a certain number to "meet the reasonable needs of the public" before they can be published.