The CPU instruction set is a patent, not a copyright. What patents protect is technology and product design. Copyright protects the textual content of a work.
The instruction set is a hard program stored inside the CPU that guides and optimizes CPU operations. With these instruction sets, the CPU can run more efficiently. Intel has x86, x86-64, MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSSE3 (Super SSE3), SSE4.1, SSE4.2 and the EM-64T for 64-bit desktop processors. AMD is mainly 3D-Now! instruction set.