Which of the following describes a legal right automatically given to an originator for creative work?

The correct choice is copyright, which refers to the legal right automatically granted to the creator of an original piece of work. This includes various forms of creative expression such as literature, music, art, and software. Copyright gives the originator exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, perform, and display their work, thus protecting their intellectual property from unauthorized use by others.

When a creative work is fixed in a tangible medium, the creator does not need to take further action to obtain copyright; it is inherent upon creation. This automatic protection allows creators to control the use of their work and seek legal recourse against infringement.

In contrast, trademarks protect symbols, names, and slogans used to identify goods or services, while patents specifically cover inventions or processes that provide a new way of doing something. A license, on the other hand, is a permission granted by the rights holder to allow others to use their work under specified conditions, rather than an automatic right conferred upon creation. Thus, copyright uniquely signifies the automatic legal protection for original creative works.