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by gpav 2564 days ago
"...but I don't believe you can directly transfer rules regarding books to websites."

The rules for copyright do apply to websites. Here is what the US Copyright Office says:

"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. Copyright does not protect facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation, although it may protect the way these things are expressed. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section 'What Works Are Protected.' ... When is my work protected? Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device."

Source URL = https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html

More FAQs: https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/

'Circular 1' URL = https://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ01.pdf

1 comments

The difference is that, while the contents of a book are covered by copyright in the same way that a website, a handwritten letter, or a photograph is, the physical artifact that is the book itself can be loaned, sold, etc. because of first sale doctrine.