How do I copyright my poetry?

Answer 1

There are several ways to copyright your poetry. 1st you can do it the inexpensive way. You put all of your originals in a envelope (dont bend them) make sure that you have signed them and dated them. Then go to the post office and mail the entire contents of your (poems) package to yourself. Make sure the envelope is sealed. Then if it ever comes up you can prove that it is your work because of the sealed and stamped postal mark.
2nd. You write the library of congress and they will send you a packet in order to copyright your material. 3rd you can also put your poetry into www.poetry.com if they use your poem you will be put into a book and they copyright it for you in your name.
Good luck from a fellow poet :-) if you would like to read some of mine to see what I am talking about go to www.poetry.com and type in the author as Lorri Caves

Answer 2

Any work that is published and bears the copyright insignia (c) is automatically protected under international copyright laws. You don't have to file forms, etc. Put it up on a website, claim authorship, use the (c) with the year in which you're publishing it (online or otherwise), state "all rights reserved" and it's protected. BTW, don't feel you have to "backdate" the copyright for anyreason. The clock starts ticking on your intellectual property protections from the time you first publish it. If you back date, then the protections end sooner.

Answer 3

In most countries you do not need to formally copyright such works. Any original work can enjoy copyright by recording its existance. Ask a lawyer friend to date stamp a copy and initial the piece. That is sufficient protection. If your work is published, the publishing company holds the copyright. Good luck and send me a piece I WOULD BE INTERESTED TO READ.

Answer 4

You can do this at the US Copyright Office – see the last 2 links in the source box. The application is fairly simple & the cost is $30 per application (it will likely rise to $45 by July 1).

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 5

You can probably get the paperwork from your public library. Ask them for copyright forms.

You pay a fee and send all of your poems together to the address on the form.

Copyrights are on file with the Library of Congress. You might be able to go to their website and download them.

Answer 6

Unfortunately just writing the date on your work is not proof of legal ownership. Anyone can copy it and write any date they want on their copy!

If you don't have the money to apply for an actual copyright, or you just want to protect yourself from someone fraudulently publishing your work... a cheap and easy way to secure proof of ownership is to mail a copy to yourself and don't open it. The postal service date stamp on that sealed envelope is legally binding! So if anyone challenges you or you need to challenge someone, you have proof of just how long ago you created that piece. Just make sure you don't open that envelope until you're in front of the legal folks involved (lawyers, judges, etc.) so they can witness it!

Answer 7

There are some simple steps to follow. Any number of good books on the subject are out there. Check out a really good library of go online. The self help section of a big bookstore will almost surely have a few titles on this subject.

Answer 8

heres a trick I learned from my writing for children and teens prof. Send it to yourself in an email and dont open it. Its called old timers copyright. or send it to yourself in the mail that way it gets stamped with a date and you can open it if you ever need to prove to someone. Hope that works, thats the way I did all my stuff

Answer 9

Basically, it's already copy riighted to you, when you write it. But to register it,and make it offical, ask the copy right office for their form TX and submit your manuscript with the form, and what ever fee. I think it's $50? There was a time it was $30.

Answer 10

Always put your name and date on your work and it is automatically copyrighted. If you want to do if "officially"