How to Copyright a Book
Know the law for your location., Fix the date of your copyright., Use the copyright symbol.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Know the law for your location.
If your country is a signatory to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works—and that covers most countries in the world—then your work is protected from the moment you create it in a format that is "perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device."That means that you automatically own the copyright to any original work you create—as long as you commit it to readable form.
For the current list of countries that are signatories to the Berne Convention, visit the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) at http://www.wipo.int/members/en/ WIPO does not offer a registration service for copyright, but it does acknowledge that many countries have national registration systems in place and that for some countries, this serves as prima facie evidence in a court of law as to copyright ownership. -
Step 2: Fix the date of your copyright.
This will protect you should there be a legal ownership dispute in the future.
There are several informal ways to solidify your claim without pursuing official registration, though there is no provision in copyright law regarding these methods:
Publish your work to gain common law copyright protection.
Whether you publish on a blog, a newspaper, a magazine, or in book form, this is another method to establish you as the original author.
Be sure that when published, the work contains your full name and the date of publication.
Note that if you are a US citizen, you will need to officially register with the US Copyright Office before you are able to make a claim in a US court (even if you already own a right on your work).
Registration may also entitle you to statutory damages in a US legal system. , According to applicable law in most countries, you own the copyright in the work as soon as it is fixed in a readable format.
By placing the copyright symbol (©) on your work, you are telling others that you know your rights, and give a legally-relevant date of original publication.
You might also consider adding reference to the legislation that backs up your copyright claim, such as: "© 2013, .
Except as provided by the Copyright Act no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher."The appropriate wording is not set in stone and is often defined by your publisher's preference, or by jurisdictional tradition, so ask your publisher or attorney for advice.
If you are considering publishing in various countries, it is a good idea to ask your publisher's legal team or your own attorney about the value of registering in all countries where your works will be published. -
Step 3: Use the copyright symbol.
Detailed Guide
If your country is a signatory to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works—and that covers most countries in the world—then your work is protected from the moment you create it in a format that is "perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device."That means that you automatically own the copyright to any original work you create—as long as you commit it to readable form.
For the current list of countries that are signatories to the Berne Convention, visit the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) at http://www.wipo.int/members/en/ WIPO does not offer a registration service for copyright, but it does acknowledge that many countries have national registration systems in place and that for some countries, this serves as prima facie evidence in a court of law as to copyright ownership.
This will protect you should there be a legal ownership dispute in the future.
There are several informal ways to solidify your claim without pursuing official registration, though there is no provision in copyright law regarding these methods:
Publish your work to gain common law copyright protection.
Whether you publish on a blog, a newspaper, a magazine, or in book form, this is another method to establish you as the original author.
Be sure that when published, the work contains your full name and the date of publication.
Note that if you are a US citizen, you will need to officially register with the US Copyright Office before you are able to make a claim in a US court (even if you already own a right on your work).
Registration may also entitle you to statutory damages in a US legal system. , According to applicable law in most countries, you own the copyright in the work as soon as it is fixed in a readable format.
By placing the copyright symbol (©) on your work, you are telling others that you know your rights, and give a legally-relevant date of original publication.
You might also consider adding reference to the legislation that backs up your copyright claim, such as: "© 2013, .
Except as provided by the Copyright Act no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher."The appropriate wording is not set in stone and is often defined by your publisher's preference, or by jurisdictional tradition, so ask your publisher or attorney for advice.
If you are considering publishing in various countries, it is a good idea to ask your publisher's legal team or your own attorney about the value of registering in all countries where your works will be published.
About the Author
Catherine Alvarez
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in crafts and beyond.
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