Copyright

Copyright

This has been brought to my attention.

So as requested I am sticking this.

Below is Information courtesy of Mammamaia

as soon as you write it, your work is automatically copyrighted in the us and many other countries [signatories to the berne convention, i believe]:



it's always best to go to the source for accurate info:

U.S. Copyright Office - Frequently Asked Questions

British Copyright Council



Thanks for this Maia.
Its greatly appreciated.

 

see additional info i just posted in other thread... glad it's helpful... hugs, m

 

ok can someone explain this to me like im a 6 yr old. what do you mean by as soon as you write it its copywrited. does that mean the minute i put it on paper, or the minute it gets posted on the internet. im so confussed.
jim

 

As soon as you record it down. Then the copyright is yours. Registering it only helps to prove that the copyright is yours.

 

btw, it's 'copyright'... a 'copywriter' is one who writes copy...

and it's copyrighted as soon as it's completed and exists in reproducable form... that is, on paper, a hard drive, online, or whatever...

 

ok thank you very much for clearing this up.

 

my little copyright symbol dosen't seem to work on line so I am writing "copyright" Is there a copyright symbol that works in this forum? Just wondering.

 

If you insert the © symbol copied from a Word document, it will remain in your text. The copyright symbol from HTML (© ) does not get displayed as the symbol. You can use the typewritten convention (C) for copyright, or the full word Copyright.

To insert the © symbol into a Word document, you can use the Character Map accessory in Windows. It there are several special symbols you use often, I recommend keeping a Word document, or even a text file, containing them for easy copying and pasting.

However, as others have mentioned, the copyright exists on your work whether or not you display a notice to that effect.

 

Thanks for the alternative. That was really informative.

I don't use Word. Too Expensive.

 

you can still copy and paste the symbol from anywhere you can find it... but why would you use it here?

 

Why would I want to stick a copyright notice on my work in a public forum? I guess because it is easy to cut and paste? I actually wish a person could make what they post "read only." I dont understand why you asked that. Hmmmm.

 

Funny Bunny, if you hold ALT and then push 0169 on the number pad, it should insert the copyright symbol into the message. Like so: ©

 

I tried that, it did not work

 

why i asked is because most, if not all seasoned/professional writers don't put the symbol on their work, as it's understood that it's copyrighted... if you were to put the symbol on any work you submit to agents/editors, for instance, you'd be advertising your amateur status... same goes for posting work on a writer's site...

 

Hmn, it works for me. Have you got Num Lock on?

 

Sorry I hve a laptop and to push Num Lk on you need to push the FN button (keys are multipurpose?) It is actually the People who read the stuff, not the publishing people. I just feel safer. It's like wearing clean underwear, yeah?

 

Okay, so let's say I wish to post a short story in this forum. Do I have to personally copyright my work before submitting it? (Presumably by visiting the posted links) Or does the forum automatically copyright the work for me? This is what I don't understand from this thread.

 

Some would say this is a legal matter, but really, the laws are available for you to read.

Any original artistic expression (painting, sculpture, novel, story etc.) is automatically copyrighted to the creator (even if it is sold). An expression is "your words" to put it simply. You might write a story about a man on a bench, and so might I, but they would be two separate expressions. You should read about what constitutes copyrighted material at your copyright office (online).

Some parts are copy-rightable, some parts are not. Any artist (print, graphic, or whatever) should go to the pages of the copyright office (of their country) and read the laws and make sure they understand what they, and others can legally do with someone elses work. I think it is a good idea to at least put a copyright symbol, year, and your real, or pen name to remind others that it is your work. (I do not think your message board handle is acceptable.)
I would spend the money and copyright a finished novella or novel, even if it is not published. You never know, the 3rd novel you write might be published, and you can pull out the older work, revise it, and suddenly make some money. Whether you copyright a short story (which is of limited financial value) is up to you. Remember also that if you should become "famous" or publish several books, there is a chance that you might have a chance to do a short story collection. I would definitely consider a complete copyright on your best ones if this should ever happen.

 

go here for the official skinny on us copyright law: U.S. Copyright Office

 

As a British citizen, no, you do not need to personally copyright your work.

No, this forum does not automatically copyright it for you. The law does that.

You own the copyright in any original writing produced by you as soon as it's stored in some kind of medium. (I say "original writing" quite carefully--fan fiction, or any other fiction that relies on someone else's characters or fictional world, is different. You can use other people's characters or fictional world once copyright has expired, so you could write about, let's say, Sherlock Holmes.)

You do not need to assert the copyright before it exists.

Using the © symbol is optional. There's nothing to stop you doing it if you like, but few experienced writers bother.

 

Okay, so let's say I store the short story on my computer and post it on the forum. Does that count as a medium? What if some guy comes along, makes a copy of my work and stores it on its computer? A dispute ensues over the legal writer, how can I prove the story is mine? Both of us have it stored on a computer.

 

the first one to have the piece in a reproducable form is the owner... but of course anyone can take it, if you offer it up in public... that's why you should never put up a complete piece of work that you hope to sell and always keep your earliest notes, your first draft and a revision or two, so you can show the progression of your work from idea to completion... anyone stealing it won't have such a paper trail unless they're crazy enough to try to fabricate one... registering your copyright with loc and/or at wga is another way to further protect your work, but it still comes down to having to sue, if someone steals it and gets it published/produced...