How do I copywrite my short story?

Question

I would like to start entering writing compitions but im unsure about copywriting.

Answer 1

The term is spelled "copyright." All you have to do is type ©Your Name 2007 at the end of the story and it is done. The copyright laws have changed over the years and your original creative property is automatically protected. You can further protect yourself by printing out and mailing yourself a copy. Keep the sealed envelope in a file should you need it to prove the date of authorship in the future.

You can, of course, still formally register your work with the U.S. Copyright Office. Go to this link for everything you ever wanted to know about the process:

http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html

Answer 2

Hi,

Technically speaking, as soon as you have set your story on paper and it is no longer merely something that is 'in your head' it is actually copyrighted to you. After you've written it down, you have the full claim to being its author.

Now, that's the simple version of it of course. The problem then becomes what to do in order to 'prove that it is your work and no-one else's.' If you get formally published, that sort of solves it all. Short of that though, there is a way of securing that you can *prove* that this is your work and that you were the first to commit it to paper.

A common way to do this, is to pack a paper copy into an envelope and send it to yourself, dated, registered post. If you can send it in a bag that is sealed at the post office, that is ideal. What you do then, is that when you receive the letter, you do not open it, but simply put it aside for safe keeping. Should you then, at some point be in a situation where you might have to prove in a court of law that this is indeed your work, then it can at least be established that at *this particular date* you were in possession of said piece.

It's a cheap way of doing it, and it holds up in court.

For copyrighting material where you might not be up for going to court for it, it's a little trickier. Have you considered setting up a message board just for yourself? What you could do there, is to make a private forum that people can not generally read, and simply write your stories into posts on that message board. Those posts would have a time stamp on them of course, which would be pretty effective. Make sure however, that you *do not* edit those posts after you post them, as that will mean that the date stamp is voided.

Try a system like EzBoard.com - you can set up a free board there. you have to pay a little to get a private forum for your eyes only.

Alternatively, I know that a lot of writers go to writing communities which often have message boards attached . . . if you share your writings anyway, you could ask if they might set up a forum for this purpose? Not just for you, but for other writers on the board, too.

I hope that helps. But remember that for legal matters, the sealed, registered letter is probably your best bet. :)

Answer 3

The sealed letter to yourself has NO standing in law. No copyright attorney will advise you to try that method of protecting your rights.

Copyright law in the U.S. is different from that in most countries in that U.S. law provides two levels of protection. The lesser level of protection, which you get automatically upon completing your work, is better than no protection at all. But if your work is actually infringed, this basic protection does not enable you to hire an attorney on contingency or to collect statutory damages. Instead, you'd have to pay your attorney up front and could collect only actual damages, which are much harder to prove.

The only way that Americans get full protection of copyright and full access to the courts if they are infringed against is to pay $40 to register the copyright in their work. This is, of course, very expensive for a short story writer! Some story writers, like me, collect a year's worth of stories into one volume and register copyright for all of them with a single fee. Later in your writing career, you might consider doing this.

However, your real question might be, "Am I safe to enter writing competitions without formally copyrighting my work?" The answer that I can give with 99.99% confidence is YES! The theft of stories in contests or in the publishing business is vanishingly rare. No one in the literature business wants to be accused, and for all they know, your copyright might actually be registered, and the theft of your work would expose them to a judgment of at least $100,000 plus court costs and attorney's fees for both sides!

So go ahead and enter those contests, and leave worrying about copyright to a point in the future when you have a dozen or more stories to register at once.

Answer 4

Once youve written it its automatic copyright just print out a copy and send it to yourself with some kind of seal round it, maybe get the postmaster to or prominent bussissman sign and date it as proof.........write the title on the outside so you dont mix it up with anything else. Then file it away somewhere safe. If you ever have to go thru the courts to prove ownership you can hand the unopened (notarised) envelope to the judge.

Answer 5

You do not have to purchase anything to gain a copyright "MONOPOLY".
You simply have to claim copyright ownership for original work. With Certain exceptions allowable under the "BERNE CONVENTION" & the applicable U.S. law determining "allowable & non-allowable" use, your original work is protected simply by asserting copyright privilage.
This means that others who want to use your work must license that work "FROM YOU". (Generally Compensable).
Strangely "BUILDINGS" built after 1991 can also gain a copyright.
YAHOO SEARCH! Type in "Wikipedia Copyright Requirements"
Hope that helps you & others.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

If you have Adobe Professional you can set the permissions to disable printing, copying, etc and password protect it. Hope this helps.