Info on Copyright?

Question

I have some written work I want to protect especially the names I have invented. What do I do? I live in the UK. Is copyright binding the world over or does it differ in different countries?

Answer 1

From the UK IPO:
"There is no official registration system for copyright in the United Kingdom (UK) and most other parts of the world. There are no forms to fill in and no fees to pay to get copyright protection.

So long as you have created a work that qualifies for copyright protection, that is it falls into one of the categories of material protected by copyright, you will have copyright protection without having to do anything to establish this. It is a requirement of various international conventions on copyright that copyright should be automatic with no need to register.

To help protect your copyright work, it is advisable to mark it with the © symbol, the name of the copyright owner and the year of publication. Although this is not essential, it will let others know when the term of protection started and hence whether it is still covered by copyright, and indicate who to approach should they need to ask permission to use the work."

"Enforcing copyright abroad
Most countries of the world are members of one or more international agreements. This means automatic protection in all member countries for works created in the United Kingdom.

The most notable agreement is the Berne Convention, which the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) administers; others include the Universal Copyright Convention (UCC).

Copyright material created by United Kingdom nationals or residents is protected automatically in each member country of the convention by the national law of that country.

All the Western European countries, the United States American and Russia offer automatic protection. For a full list please see the WIPO or UNESCO websites.

In order to benefit from the UCC it is essential to mark your copyright work with the © symbol, followed by the name of the copyright owner and year of publication. This is not essential under United Kingdom law but it is still advisable to mark your work in this way and take the other precautions suggested regarding copyright in the United Kingdom."

WIPO has 184 Member countries.

UCC has over 60 member countries.

Answer 2

Register your work with the Copyright Office and upon registration your work is protected all over the world.