A lamp base shaped like a statue is protected as a sculpture, even though the lamp itself is a functional "useful article".

💡 Copyright protects the expression of an idea (the art), not the utilitarian function of the object itself.

While code is protected as a literary work, the functional "mechanics" of a game may fall under different legal standards than its artistic assets.

If an artistic element, like a floral relief on silverware or a carving on a headboard, can exist independently of the object's function, it is copyrightable.

If you're looking for something different, are you asking about: for a specific product you've designed? How to register a creative work with the Copyright Office? General productivity or "useful" life advice articles? Useful Articles - Copyright

For more details on specific registrations, you can visit the Official U.S. Copyright Office or check legal definitions at the Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute .

A photograph of a dress is protected, but the right to manufacture that physical dress design is not exclusive to the artist under copyright.

You cannot copyright the "shape" of a dress, but you can copyright an original fabric pattern printed on it.