What is copyright and plagiarism, and how does the law/system regarding this work?

Copyrightis the exclusive legal right, given to an originator or an assignee to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or musical material, or to make derivative works, and to authorize others to do the same. Copyright infringement is illegal in most countries.

The details copyright infringement laws vary from country to country, but in the United States, the legal penalties for copyright infringement that the infringer pays the actual dollar amount of damages and profits. If the work was registered with the U.S. Copyright Office, the law provides a range from $200 to $150,000 in statutory damages for each work infringed, as well as the infringer paying for all attorneys fees and court costs.

Plagiarism is the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own. Plagiarism is usually considered an ethical breech of conduct rather than a criminal or civil offense, unless one also commits copyright infringement when plagiarizing.

However, it is possible to plagiarize someone without infringing their copyright, if that person gives you permission to copy their work and publish it under your own name. It is also possible to infringe someone’s copyright without committing plagiarism by copying someone else’s work without their permission but crediting them as the creator of that work.