Is there any legal validity to a "poor man's copyright" where you mail yourself your own work(s)?

Answer 1

You don't need to do anything to have something copyrighted. Once you create an original work it is automatically copyrighted. If you mail something to yourself that doesn't prove a thing, not in court anyways. You can register a copyright with the US Copyright Office and it would cost you about $45 depending on what it is and if you do anything beyond simple registration.

The following is a quote from the US Copyright Office website FAQ's (The link is provided below, which will also be helpful in finding out how to register your work):
"The practice of sending a copy of your own work to yourself is sometimes called a “poor man’s copyright.” There is no provision in the copyright law regarding any such type of protection, and it is not a substitute for registration. "

Answer 2

That gives you a timestamp in case of a lawsuit but for best protection, you should register with the copyright office. A copyright goes into place from the moment the idea is put onto paper whether you register your work or not. If someone else disputes your claim as copyright holder, then the person who can prove the earliest date of creation stands the best chance of winning the case. The "poor man's copyright" helps there.

Check out http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html for more info.

Answer 3

First of all,

"Copyright Registration

In general, copyright registration is a legal formality intended to make a public record of the basic facts of a particular copyright. However, registration is not a condition of copyright protection. Even though registration is not a requirement for protection, the copyright law provides several inducements or advantages to encourage copyright owners to make registration. Among these advantages are the following:

* Registration establishes a public record of the copyright claim.

* Before an infringement suit may be filed in court, registration is necessary for works of U.S. origin.

* If made before or within 5 years of publication, registration will establish prima facie evidence in court of the validity of the copyright and of the facts stated in the certificate.

* If registration is made within 3 months after publication of the work or prior to an infringement of the work, statutory damages and attorney's fees will be available to the copyright owner in court actions. Otherwise, only an award of actual damages and profits is available to the copyright owner.

* Registration allows the owner of the copyright to record the registration with the U. S. Customs Service for protection against the importation of infringing copies. For additional information, go to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website at www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import. Click on “Intellectual Property Rights.”[1]

Secondly,
"1)The poor man’s copyright can be faked, in several ways – easily

2)The poor man's copyright has rarely been heralded as a success anywhere that we can find online

3)A poor man’s copyright is not technically needed to secure a copyright.

4)A poor-mans copyright could leave you even poorer, if that’s all you have as proof of copyright [2]

Thirdly,
"Registration of a basic claim in an original work of authorship:
Forms TX, SE, PA, VA (including Short Forms), and Form SR [is] $45" [3]

In summation,

A) Techically speaking, as soon as the ink is dry on the paper, your work IS "copyright-ed".

B) The only reason people argue about a copyright is when it becomes a profit-generating work. Nobody argues about copyright when there's no money to motivate the argument.

C) The poor man's copyright - which I've used myself - appears to never have been successfully used in a court of law[2] to prevent a copyright thief from making millions of dollars off of the work of somebody who enacted "the poor man's copyright".

I must confess, IF I TRULY had confidence enough, and even remotely suspected that those works which I - a poor man - copyrighted the poor man's way - were going to make me a rich man, then I would have been better served to bite the bullet, scrimp and save or beg and borrow the $45 to protect the "million dollar" investment in my future, and do it the proper way - which I have done on numerous OTHER ocassions when I realized the folly behind the poor man's copyright.

Hope this helps...

Answer 4

It has to be registered mail so there is a record of it at a government agency. It isn't an iron clad copyright, however it gives you evidence that you are the first to produce the work.

Having a formal copyright will fully protect you work from alteration and redistribution.

Answer 5

As far as I know, it is legit. Mailing utilizes a federal service (copyrights are federal, by the way), and if you get a notary to sign that this is your original work, and duplication of any kind is illegal, then mail it to yourself, then yes, it should be valid.

Answer 6

its only 30 dollars to get something copyrighted, and its no more or less troublesome than the poor mans method,

Answer 7

Yes...thats hoe it is done..but don't open it when ya get the mail...Musicians do this with their songs too.