copyright story by postal mail ?

Question

i heard or read or something that you can copyright your stories somehow thru the mail ? is it by mailing the letter to yourself ?? what about getting it notarized ?

Answer 1

The United States Copyright Office has this to say about the subject:

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."

Use of this method will probably not hold up in a court as it is simple for individuals to pre-send envelopes which can then be used later by placing the actual IP materials inside

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

The bad news is you are describing what is called a "poor man's copyright." This concept floats around even though the law doesn't recognize it. It's almost like an urban legend. And sorry, but getting something notarized doesn't affect a copyright either.

But the good news is that you almost certainly already have a copyright, cause they are easy to get and they are free and you don't have to do anything except write your story down. There is an educational site called www.how-to-copyright.com for more information that gives a good overview of what a copyright is. The only other step might be to get it registered with the Copyright Office.

Answer 3

I've heard about that as well but honestly, I wouldn't put too much of my trust in it. I also heard conflicting stories of how it wasn't valid to do that anymore.

If you've written something, then have it copyrighted the right way. Besides, what if your story/novel gets lost in the mail? Then you're screwed. Don't do that to yourself, you've worked hard on your story, so be smart, and get it copyrighted the right way. Take care.

Answer 4

Go to: copyright.gov
It has everything you need to know about copyrighting anything.

Answer 5

Keep it to yourself. If you're gonna enter it into something, do something legit and not online because too many people steal stuff and try and pass it as their own.