How do you Copyright?

Question

I have got articles that I would like to copyright, how do I go about it and are the rules and procedures same in the UK and US?

Answer 1

Copyright law in the U.S. is based on the Copyright Act of 1976, a federal statute that went into effect on January 1, 1978. We'll refer to this statute throughout the book as the Copyright Act.

States cannot enact their own laws to protect the same rights as the rights provided by the Copyright Act. For example, a state cannot pass a law to extend copyright protection on works in the state beyond the term of protection given by the Copyright Act. State "copyright" laws exist, but they are limited to works that cannot be protected under federal copyright law. (Requirements for federal protection are discussed in "Standards," later in these materials.)

Copyright law is important for multimedia developers and publishers for two reasons:

* Original multimedia works are protected by copyright. The Copyright Act's exclusive rights provision gives developers and publishers the right to control unauthorized exploitation of their works.

* Multimedia works are created by combining "content" - music, text, graphics, illustrations, photographs, software - that is protected under copyright law. Developers and publishers must avoid infringing copyrights owned by others.

Types of Works Protected by Copyright
Copyright law protects "works of authorship." The Copyright Act states that works of authorship include the following types of works:

* Literary works. Novels, nonfiction prose, poetry, newspaper articles and newspapers, magazine articles and magazines, computer software, software documentation and manuals, training manuals, manuals, catalogs, brochures, ads (text), and compilations such as business directories
* Musical works. Songs, advertising jingles, and instrumentals.
* Dramatic works. Plays, operas, and skits.
* Pantomimes and choreographic works. Ballets, modern dance, jazz dance, and mime works.
* Pictorial, graphic, and sculptural works. Photographs, posters, maps, paintings, drawings, graphic art, display ads, cartoon strips and cartoon characters, stuffed animals, statues, paintings, and works of fine art.
* Motion pictures and other audiovisual works. Movies, documentaries, travelogues, training films and videos, television shows, television ads, and interactive multimedia works.
* Sound recordings. Recordings of music, sounds, or words.
* Architectural works. Building designs, whether in the form of architectural plans, drawings, or the constructed building itself.

Answer 2

You DO NOT copyright articles or any other materials. They are copyrighted when and IF they are published. Copyrighting is a BAD IDEA prior to your sending them to publishers, as then YOU hold the copyright and they have to spend time and money securing it from you. Why would you bother doing this anyway? Rhetorical. By the way, if you are worried about someone stealing your ideas, don't. Your question indicates you are an amateur so I would not worry that someone is going to come along and snatch your work. And to the poster who talks about a "poor man's copyright" just forget that, as it doesn't hold up ANYWHERE, even in the UK.

Answer 3

In the UK, they have what's called "poor man's copyright". There, you can put your original work in an envelope, mail it to yourself and not open it when you get it back. In the US, however, you have to go through the copyright agency (www.copyright.org) from the previous answer. The "poor man's copyright" will not hold up in the US.

Answer 4

Whatever you write is already copyrighted by the fact that you wrote it.
Your publisher could also go through the steps of copyrighting it legally for you.
iUniverse treated me well. See what they did for me:
http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/book_detail.asp?isbn=0-595-41130-4

Answer 5

When you get a book published you usualy have the option of copyright depending on what company publishes it

Answer 6

Here is the offical United States website: all information is on the site. http://copyright.gov/



The UK is a different country.