Which of the following kinds of law protects the author(s) of any published or unpublished work?

Copyright law is specifically designed to protect the rights of authors for both published and unpublished works. This legal framework grants creators exclusive rights to their original works, which can include literature, music, art, and various forms of media. By securing these rights, copyright law ensures that authors have control over the use and distribution of their creations, enabling them to benefit financially and creatively from their work.

This type of protection allows the author to prevent others from reproducing, distributing, or publicly displaying their work without permission, thus fostering an environment where creativity can thrive. Feelings of ownership are bolstered by copyright, encouraging individuals to invest time and resources into producing new ideas and materials. The longevity of copyright protections also varies depending on when the work was created, but generally, it grants protection for the life of the author plus a specified number of years thereafter.

In contrast, other forms of intellectual property protection, such as trademark, patent, and trade secret, serve different purposes related to branding, inventions, and confidential business information and do not specifically address the protection of the creative works of authors in the same way that copyright does.