Copyright covers both published and unpublished works. What does copyright protect? Copyright, a form of intellectual property law, protects original works of authorship including literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software, and architecture.
To be protected by copyright, the work must be more than an idea. It must be fixed in a "tangible form of expression." This means the work must be written or otherwise recorded. This is because a copyright does not protect an idea or plan: it protects the expression of that idea or plan.
Open-access archiving is becoming an expectation – and in some cases a requirement – for scholars. As such, more publishers are allowing it in some form.
Resources from SPARC (Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition)