Are keyboard shortcuts protected by Copyright

[josefinav47]

Hello,

I would like to ask if keybord shortcuts are protected by copyright? Can I use them for commercial purpose? Thanks for answer

[Title edited for question clarity and future forum search... Mod]

[John T Smith]

You own what you create with a program

[josefinav47]

I mean, on the Adobe Helpx website is the summary of the keybord shortcuts. I would like to use all of them for my project witch would be able to sell. And I dont want to have any problems with copyright. So, can I use them for my comercial project and dont need to ask Adobe for licence or something? I think its same like when some do the tutorial on Youtube and they dont need any permition..so.. 🙂

[Peru Bob]

Your best route would be to consult an attorney.

[Nancy OShea]

From copyright.gov.

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.

[Dave Merchant]

It's not clear what "commercial project" you are talking about.

If you are creating a training course or textbook about Adobe software then it's perfectly fine to include a list of keyboard shortcuts, but you will need to type out the content yourself rather than taking a screenshot from the website. More important is the trademark restriction, there are specific rules you must follow when talking about Adobe and its products, such as ensuring the trademark owners are credited and not using logos or implying any endorsement. For advice see https://www.adobe.com/legal/permissions.html

If you want to use the same keyboard shortcuts in your own software then that is generally considered OK; all the most common shorcuts (save/copy/paste/etc) are universal and Adobe doesn't have any rights to control which keys people press, but the question of whether an entire "scheme" of shortcuts is protectable remains a matter for the courts.

[josefinav47]

So, when I will create something like "Aid for Graphic Designer" where will be all off the keybord shortcuts for specific program and I will rewrite them from the Adobe Helpx website, thats allright? I will not take the screenshot, but I will rewrite it. And when I will want make the title page of the textbook, I CANT use the logo of Adobe, but can I just write something like "Aid for Graphic Designer for Adobe Illustrator", or something like this..? Thank you so much for the answers

[Nancy OShea]

I think you might be repeating work that has already been done by other people.  As an example, these PDF cheat sheets are available for free download.

https://photoshoptrainingchannel.com/photoshop-keyboard-shortcuts/

https://makeawebsitehub.com/adobe-illustrator-keyboard-shortcuts/

[josefinav47]

I dont think so, but thanks for your opinion 🙂 

[Test Screen Name]

Don't forget in your work that "Adobe" and "Illustrator" are trademarks (not the same as copyright) which you must acknowledge.