An author's defined both as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what's created. The second entry goes on to clarify that, when using the term author, the "anything" which's created's most usually associated with written work. Author of a written work Legal significance In copyright law, there's necessarily little flexibility as to what constitutes authorship. The United States Copyright Office defines copyright as "a form… (More on Author)