This is an area open to interpretation but I wouldn’t go so far as to say someone who used a phrase before owns the copyright to a new work that happens to cont

This is an area open to interpretation but I wouldn’t go so far as to say someone who used a phrase before owns the copyright to a new work that happens to contain that phrase. But yes they certainly own the copyright to their original entire work in its original form. If you’re talking about excerpts longer than a phrase it does become more murky for sure.