You may be wondering why this site even exists. Are you thinking, “What’s so important about copyrights?” This page will answer some basic questions about why knowing the basics of copyright law can be important to you.

When anyone creates anything, i.e. writes a story, paints a picture, or designs a website, and puts it into some tangible form outside of their thoughts and imagination, they own the copyright rights to it, even if they haven’t registered their work with the U.S. Copyright Office.

What does it mean to “own the copyright?” The copyright owner controls the rights to copy, distribute, make derivatives of (modify), or perform their work. It is illegal for anyone to use or modify their work without their permission.

Copyright is just as important on the web as it is elsewhere. Webmasters need to be extremely careful about what they use on their sites, making sure they have explicit permission to use material they have not created themselves. When in doubt about whether something is free to be taken, always ASK the originator of the material. If one can not find the owner, or can not get a response to requests for permission, it is best to err on the side of caution and not use the material.

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In order to secure your copyright rights, the best procedure is to register your work with the U.S. Copyright Office. Registration of your copyright has many advantages and gives you the right to pursue a copyright infringement lawsuit in federal court. That could result in your winning monetary damages and lawyers’ fees when you prevail in court. Without the official registration, your legal remedies, while not inconsequential, are more limited, especially in the monetary damages area.

If you decide not to invest the time and money it takes to register your copyright, it is a good idea to at least print out a copy of your work or place an archive of your work on floppy disks, seal it in an envelope addressed to yourself, and then mail the package via certified mail, return receipt requested, to yourself. Do not open the package when you get it back from the post office. What you will have is what some call “the poor man’s copyright” registration. Also, be sure to make a detailed list and/or a duplicate of what you put in the package and then file that with your unopened, postmarked envelope. This will be credible evidence for the date of creation of your work. However, only official registration with the copyright office gives you the right to sue for copyright infringement.

We will be adding more information on procedures that you can follow to further secure your copyright rights. We are leaving it to Aunt Crabby to come up with possible remedies you can use if you find that someone has copied your work.

Don’t put it off, get busy and start securing your rights! Also, be sure you are in the right. Remember, “Don’t be in haste to copy and paste.”

An excellent article on Copyrights in Cyberspace is at the Nolo Press site. Don’t miss it!

For detailed information on copyright law and copyright registration procedures, there are many useful resources available on the internet and in print. See our Official page for links to internet resources, and visit our Amazon.com associate bookstore for an easy way to buy a good reference on copyright.