# all rights reserved

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/all-rights-reserved
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

The copyright holder of a creative work reserves all copyright-related rights, typically including the right to publish the work, to make derivative works of it, to distribute it, to make profit from it, to license a number of these rights to other people, and to forbid these uses by any unauthorized people, thus being entitled to take legal action against infringement.

## Examples

- The book says all rights reserved on the first page.
- The filmmaker keeps all rights reserved for his new documentary.
- She writes all rights reserved on every poem she posts online.
- You cannot copy these images for your website because the artist has all rights reserved.
- Even though the software is free to download, the developer keeps all rights reserved to prevent others from selling the code.
- Check the bottom of the music video description to see if the record label has all rights reserved.
- The publisher explicitly stated that all rights reserved, thereby prohibiting any unauthorized reproduction or distribution of the manuscript in any form.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.