I want to post my short stories, poems, lyrics and songs online... but i dont want to lose rights to any of it or have people stealing it. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about copyrighting. i could do it through my wordpress blog if that does anything w/ copyrighting, but otherwise, the only other way i know of is the old fashioned "send it to yourself in the mail and don't open it," method, or filling out all the forms which i'm not about to do. I just want to share my work with everyone without worrying about where its going. help=much appreciated.
i sell vintage kodachrome slides on e-bay that my gramps shot decades ago. what i do is copy them all to a cd rom, and mail them to myself via certified, signature required. then, throw it in a drawer, unopened. this will legally prove that you have prior ownership down the line if someone tries to steal your work.
yeah thats the only quick method i know of... crap, i wanted to just start putting all my stuff up online right now, but i guess ill take the time to photocopy/retype all my work and send it out to myself. this is what i used to do with all my old music over 5 years ago but i figured there'd be some new, digital way of doing it.
You own the copyright to your work the minute it is created.... be it on the internet, with a camera, or on paper. However, if you want legal protection, then you need to file with the copyright office. Mailing yourself a copy does not offer you any protection at all. This article explains it better then I can: The Myth of Poor Man's Copyright | PlagiarismToday That being said, if you put it on the internet, you have to expect your work to be stolen. I have an online library of over 3000 photos. Most of them are registered with the US Copyright office, but I also have a lot of photos of family and friends that I don't bother with. A few years ago, my friend got a catalog in the mail from a major company, and on the front was a photo of her son. A photo that I took, but never sold to anyone. Unfortunately, I also didn't register for the copyright either. After many e-mails and certified letters back and forth with the company, I was finally compensated for the use of the photo. However, if I had registered the photo, I would have been able to hire a lawyer, get back all of my lawyer fees and be awarded an additional amount for damages. On the other hand, if some no-name mommy blogger took the photo, it's unlikely I would have gotten a dime. It simply wouldn't have been worth the time and effort. I would have sent a cease and desist letter and be done with it.
damnit... i wish i wasn't too lazy to get it all copyrighted... and i wish i didn't value my work so much as to not put it on the internet without it being protected... i want people to read this stuff
Well if you want people to read it then post it up on the web, with a PMC, and that will prove authorship. And you can still go on a state level for damages. If you aren't willing to pay the copyright fee then why not post it, so that people can read it, like you said. Worst case scenario you will have proof that you created it. *And in response to proving you created something, that the article touched on. Couldn't someone, for an object(Not a word document, ect...) bring the invention in design/draft/paper phase to a notory. Then after the inventor reaches certain bench marks, keep bringing the device to the notory, noting what was done in schematics, with the final device being notorized aswell? In my mind, this works the same as when the math teacher asks you how you got to the answer. At court with a mailed PMC, they could claim they invented the device and then you plagarized. But if you brought evidence showing that you invented the device, on certain dates, with a notorised document proving that you searched for like devices in the patent offices before invention.... I see no way that could go wrong for proving authorship. Just gotta make a new poormans copyright that can hang with the fact that designs can be hacked via the itnernet literally after uploading.
Yeah in this case with the blog it would be tough. Thats why I am suggjesting, couldn't someone do a PMC showing that they did work in progress, on certain dates which was notorised every visit. That proves someone created it in my mind. In this case it wouldn't work, but thats how we did stuff in engineering classes to prove that the asshole next to you didn't steal your ideas.
i don't think any publishers want a disorganized compilation of a manic's poems, lyrics, short stories, novella's and half-finished novels... or do they???