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HOW TO COPYRIGHT MY CREATIVE WORKS

---------------Written by: Daryn Wright---------------

rotection of creative works is referred to as a Other forms of proof would be a bar code attach-
Pcopyright. A copyright is a protection of author- ment, a recorded CD or other hard type recording
ship covering both published and unpublished media such as a vinyl record, DVD, or duplications.
works that has been created and fixed to a tangible Keep all duplication receipts as additional proof.
medium of expression. You can not get enough proof of authenticity. The
more you have, the less likely you will run into a
A tangible medium of expression can be literary, problem of someone infringing on your copyright.
dramatic, musical, and artistic works such as poetry,
novels, movies, songs, software, or architecture, but Why should we register a copyright, if copyright
does not protect facts, IDEAS, systems, methods of laws grant authenticity at the moment of creation? If
operations, or TITLES, although it may protect the the work is brought to litigation for a determination
way these things are expressed. of two or more parties claiming to own the work
of art, a registered copyright can obtain lawyer fees
In the United States, and the UK, your work is con- and statutory damages if the owner wins the law-
sidered copyright protected the moment it is created suit, whereas a non-registered copyright cannot. A
and fixed in a tangible form to be perceived directly non-registered copyright can grant a cease and desist
or with the aid of a machine or device. order, meaning the court can order someone who is
using your copyright to stop at once from using it,
Tangible perception is when a work of art has proof and also order any further use of said works to pay
of ownership with documentation concerning when dividend of profits to the original owner.
the work of art was created.
If you have no proof you own it, you don’t own it.
Tangible documentation needs a time stamp for This is how the court will perceive the copyright
proof of when the copyright started. This must be in if it comes to litigation, and you have no proof of
a form that cannot be altered, or grouped with other authenticity. Always keep all forms of proof, saved
time stamps as additional proof of time of authentic- with
ity. The practice of sending registered mail to your- backup copies.
self is no longer admissible as proof of authenticity
due to its contents not documented, and the easy Is there an exception to any of this? Yes! Not all
ability to alter the contents of a sealed envelope. So countries adhere to international copyright laws,
how then can we time stamp it? Email is one form, meaning they do not punish someone inside their
saving both sent and received copies of your work, country for stealing your creations. How can I
including the files attached to the email as well as protect against this? You can search the copyright
being written out in the contents of the email. Pub- office and determine what country you may not wish
lishing the work on any website is also timestamped. to have your creation released into. It is unfortunate
Date of release to any form of media. It is advised to there are still countries that do not protect against
take photos of any time stamps for additional proof this kind of theft, and again, the best way to protect
of authenticity, being sure to capture the time stamp your work is to register with the copyright office.
in the photo. Registering with the copyright office
is the ultimate proof and has the best protection for Information for this article was obtained from
your work of art. A registered copyright is consid- research on information mostly provided directly
ered authentic from the time of creation as long as from the library of congress, and is authorized to use
the filing is within five years of when it was created, in an educational form.
otherwise its authenticity starts from the point in
time the registration was completed. Written by Daryn Wright

06 www.writeawaymag.co.uk