How can I copyright my website?

Question

I have an idea of a lovely website
I want to ask experts to do it for me
Before that, I want to copyright it first
Who knows, maybe experts greed might get into action

But I am not sure how the copyright will protect me
I mean what if someone changes the idea slightly
He still can come with something nice like mine
But it is based on my idea anyways
So, does copyright cover that?

I mean, does it cover only the exact copy
or it covers people making something even similar?

ur answer is helpful

Answer 1

Steve, copyright in your website (to the extent that it can be copyrighted) will arise naturally under UK law without you having to make any application. Essentially what will be protected is the computer code that you create to run it and also the words and images you put on it. As a a general rule of thumb, if it has been done before, unless you are adding an element of originality to the mix it won't be protected.

If you ever got into a dispute with someone you felt was copying your site, the more examples of them lifting code, text or images from your site (with or without modifying it) the stronger your claim would be. Copying parts of a copyrighted work is against the law provided that the part itself is substantial enough. For example, using the word "the" is not a breach of the copyright in a book on sale in WH Smith, but if I was to put a paragraph from that book in this answer it most certainly would be a breach of copyright.

Bear in mind as well that if they didn't actually copy from you it is not against the law, even if by coincidence they have produced something almost exectly the same.

It is very difficult to claim a copyright of an idea though - coyright is designed to protect the expression of the idea (ie what you write down/display on your site) rather than the idea itself. So someone could see your site, identify your original idea and use it for a whole host of other similar purposes without breaking the law. They could also create their own rival site, providing the same function/service as yours so long as they don't copy words/images/coding from yours.

If you think that your idea is sufficiently inventive to be patented, this would give the idea itself some protection from copying once registered. You should consider having it registered at patent offices worldwide rather than just in the UK so that you could enforce the patent outside the UK.

It is often the case that patents, once registered, are successfully challenged in court by businesses that infringe them. A common reason is that they are not sufficiently inventive - ie don't advance the body of knowledge and expertise in that area - to have been patented. A patent attorney would be able to advise you on the likelihood of your idea being accepted by patent offices (and later upheld in court should you ever need to enforce it).

I have put a reference to the key legislation in this area of law below, in case you want to look into the detail yourself.

Answer 2

You don't "need to copyright" your work. It is already copyrighted. Copyright is free, instantaneous and automatic and has been (in the USA) since 1989. Registration is completely optional and the vast majority of copyrighted materials are NOT registered anywhere. Paying someone to file a pointless application for registration of a copyright you already own doesn't make any sense. An intelligent 12-year-old can fill out the forms and pay the $35 fee, which would only be necessary if you're actually trying to sue someone in a U.S. federal court. As they say in the excerpt you quoted, they are NOT your lawyers and you cannot sue them for legal malpractice if they give you bogus information or fail to file something you submit. Similarly, you cannot get legal advice on Yahoo!Answers -- only information that may help you frame the proper questions for own attorney, given your particular circumstances.

Answer 3

I think if this is your first idea hardly worth it - remember before you can claim its your original work ya gotta get out there and find out that it is - maybe somebody else had the idea!

Also in business it often first or best rather then being the only - think million dollar page. Didnt waste time patetenting it or copyrighting it - which being creative is nigh on impossble anyway. which bit, content, design, creative? Think you find a lot more problems then any solutions to your idea. Besides which you will find it hard to work with people if you start ball-busting them with its all my idea..but ya can still try!

Answer 4

Put all your ideas in a well sealed envelope addressed to yourself. Post it to yourself but don't open it. Then write neatly in pencil what it is and put it in your fire-safe. Add a dated copy of the website when it is created. Be careful as some of the web design work will be the web designers copyright not yours, so that may have to be signed across to you for a seperate fee to the price of the web site.

Answer 5

Did you go to: copyright.gov?