What does copyright cover exactly?

copyright

[eltreno]

If someone comes up with an idea and makes a web site that, lets say, stores weights of whatever and gives you a summary at end of month

Can they sue if someone else goes and rights there own website (from scratch) but uses the same idea even though all code is their own.

ie does copywright cover ideas or more actually words and code

I image ideas can be used again and again, else there would only be one serach engine company and one email company etc etc

Thanks
Trent

[nancyb]

from the US Copyright Office [copyright.gov]. then, click on "What Is Not Protected by Copyright?"

The last bullet seems applicable to your question, I think.

[qazwer]

In the end it is probably the same issue as with trademarks, if it ends up in court who has the deepest pockets :-)