How do i copyright something?

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crazykatie!	sorry, i have no clue. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Big Z	Lawfully. Copyright them lawfully. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

"La Chinita"	I don't really have the complete answer for this, please forgive me, but I too have some ideas that I want to get copyrighted and one of the things the website said to do until you can go through proper channels is to get a letter of confidentiality from anyone you've shared you idea with, and write down your idea, all the concepts involved, anything you want to protect, and send it to yourself, leave it unopened, and when the time comes to prove it was originally your idea you can present tho"unopened letter" and prove it, Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

ICHOOSETOTELLTHETRUTH	I was told mail it to yourself. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

big_fan	JUST GO TO YOUR LOCAL COURTHOUSE THEY WILL CHARGE YOU A FEW BUCKS AND TELL THEM YOU WANNA GET YOUR THINGS COPYRIGHTED P.S I'V DONE THAT IN THE PAST WITH SONGS I'V WRITTEN Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

carlytucci	go to www.copyright.com." Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

quotationdujour	To register a business name(for a small business, known as a dba), I went to the County office bulding, the county clerk's office, searched to see if the name was already registered, and paid a small fee to have it registered. (this was in New York state, i'm assuming you live in the states.) Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

A Designer	Technically, legally, the moment you create something it is copyrighted... if you can believe that. At least, when it comes to a written piece or a piece of art. The act of registering it with the Library of Congress is simply to have proof that you were the first one to come up with the idea... which is why the whole idea of mailing yourself a copy is so popular. All it does is provide you with cheap way to have a dated way of proving that you were in possession of the work in question first/before anyone else. Of course, it's not official, like registering with the L. o C., and you'd probably run into more problems of upholding the arguement of true ownership in court if someone ELSE supplied a copyright of the work that you were saying is yours. The company name I'm not as sure about... but the video? To save yourself heartache in the future (especially if this video is something you see as being of significant value to you in the future), don't scrimp... register it with the L. o C. I think it costs around $30, plus whatever costs you incur making copies of it and shipping it, but it'll be worth it. Also, note that copyrights aren't forever... they expire after a given time period and need to be renewed. This is why some movies/pieces move to the public domain... because their copyright was never renewed and no one can claim rights to it anymore. This expiration varies according to media and other issues, which you can read about at the government site for copyrighting. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

sweetistperson	dunno Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

reann4239	ok, my husband is a song writer so he told me two way, one much easyer than the other, first write the library of congress in washington dc. tell them in short form what you would like to copyright, song, book, vidio ect.. they will send you the right form, when you send it back you pay the expected amount. they will direct you in how to fill out forms. next is called poor mans copyright. it is just as leagel, put what you have in box or envelope, mail it to yourself from yourself, the goverment stamp will be your date of copyright, you will need to simpley put this away for safe keeping (do not send the original) and do not open, much cheaper. i hope this helped, he does both. good luck! Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

xklusiv_guy_910	I dont know Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Spock	This site will explain it to you http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

mebesaturday	like it was said before go to www.copyright.gov as a photographer all i have to do is write my name and year on back of proof with the c symbol. I must also say that I HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH BAD ANSWERS! get a copymachine? people answering with i dunno? sad very very sad. good luck and before you look into the business name. search yahoo and google for the name chances are its been taken but hopefully not. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

india.magica	Portection of Works - Video and Trade Name Please see the following information as rough guidelines to get into the spirit and the given web sites for the details. COPYRIGHTING PERFORMING ARTS A copyright protects your work from being copied at large, but does not protect your ideas. For these you would need a patent. Combined artwork of sound and pictures (audiovisual works) are lised under Performing Arts. Make sure you apply with the correct form. Please verify all data given in this outline and look for the details at http://www.copyright.gov/register/performing.html Step 1 Place in an envelope * the completed application Form PA (if you are the sole author, the work was not done for hire, and is a new publication; otherwise choose Form PA). * a $30 payment made out to Register of Copyrights. * a nonreturnable, undamaged copy of the material to be registered with a brief description of the nature and content of the work (e.g. A movie on Family Christmas) Step 2 Send the package to: Library of Congress, Copyright Office, 101 Independence Avenue, S.E., Washington, D.C. 20559-6000, USA Your registration becomes effective on the day that the Copyright Office receives your application, payment, and copy in acceptable form. If your submission is in order, you will receive a certificate of registration in 4 to 5 months. REGISTERING A TRADE MARK The name for a company can be registered as a Trade Mark, like Coca Cola. A Trade Mark does not protect the product itself from being imitated, but the name/logo. A combination of both, name and logo, may be best for registration. Step 1 Choose a name and/or logo that is protectable. E.g. names of cities like Sedona are not protectable. Step 2 - Do a Trade Mark search on the Internet at http://www.uspto.gov/web/trademarks/workflow/start.htm or at certain libraries. If a mark may be in conflict with your chosen Mark, verify that this conflicting mark is still in use. See same web site for detailed info. Step 3 - Make a description of goods and services with which your Mark will be used. Provide a clear image of the Mark to be used. There are two types, Standard Character Format and Stylized or Design Format. The former is used for letters, words and numbers (not regarding colors, patterns etc.), the latter for Marks with an artistic element. Step 4 - Filing Your Trade Mark Application Online: though TEAS Trademark Electronic Application System, the forms ca be filled in online. Payment by credit card or via electronic funds transfer. By Mail: send your application to USPTO Commissioner for Trademarks, P.O.Box 1451, Alexandria VA 22313-1451. The Trademak Assistance Center offers a basic Facts brochure (hard copy or paper copy). Phone 1-800-786-9199. These are only some guidelines, lease verify all information and get full details at the given web site. Look for other contacts at http://www.uspto.gov/main/contacts.htm. TrademarkAssistanceCenter@uspto.gov TEAS@uspto.gov Wishing you abundance and success with your exciting, new business! Cordially, India.Magica Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

granados_nicolas	Threat people that you will kill them if they copy Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

tjweb92	Just put this below it Copyright NAME YEAR Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Jess	http://www.copyright.gov/ i takes about 3-4 months or if you just put the sign and your name and the date it works that wy also Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

dj_j65	people KNOW how to BREAK copyright. SO DO not even try! Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

JusWannaNo	Well I know my ex-boyfriend when to the library and all the info he need was right at his finger tips. The employees at the help desk where very helpful they help him find all the documentation and procedures he need to copyright his Record Label Name. I hope this info helps you out!!! Good Luck!!!!! Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

ak	obscuremagic got it right first. You can register your names/work with the US government. I've done it and it's not difficult but it's been a while. You can get instructions and all the forms at http://www.copyright.gov/ It takes about six months to get acknowledgment after you send in your paperwork. Get a return receipt from the post office and keep a copy of everything you send in. I think you have to re-register every five or seven years. The web site explains it all. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

King of the Net	Just to say Trevor gave the exact info, which is very useful for all of us. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

linkUS	Here is THE government website. One way or another you will have to apply to the copyright office. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

rockang	Go to your governments copyright office. It will have a cost and its for a short period of time i think. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

tsy_fish	get a patent for it at your respective country. Make sure u state and carefully think through the boundaries of the copyright b4 patenting it and try not to make any loopholes possible. all the best! =] Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

ride2cowboy	visit your internet. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Cassabella <3 loves u 2	contact the person who made that and ask 4 permission to copyright. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Pearlsawme	With out spending money you can't get valid answer. Consult a good lawyer and pay him. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Butterfly queen	If I were you, I would most definitely spend the money on a GOOD, Board Certified Attorney who specializes in copywrite law. I mean if you have something you have created, that is going to make you a L O T or money, defnitely worth the extra $$ for an attorney, to make sure it's done PROPER! I would not search on the net for some fly-by-night company, that you do not know if you can trust.....of course, might be worth a try to resesearch it via Google.com, and see what you come up with. It could just be a form that you fill out, and submit to some copywrighting agency.....GOOD LUCK, and do not waste time; my husband has had many SUPER great inventions, but never tried to copyright---at some later time, we see that very same product, that he could have made a ton of $$ off of....so do not delay..... Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Trevor	Copyright is something that happens automatically and there is no procedure to be gone through. For example, all the answers on this page are copyright of their respective authors. This page itself is copyrighted and you'll notice at the bottom it says "Copyright © 2006 Yahoo! Inc". Yahoo won't have registered this page or posted copies of it to themselves because they know that simply creating this page gives them the copyright it. Copyright law varies from country to country. There are also different laws governing different formats, e.g. video, sound, broadcasts, published volumes. In respect of your video (assuming it was made by yourself as an individual, that you were the principal director and that you weren't hired to make the video) then in many countries around the world you will be granted a 'life plus 70' copyright, meaning copyright exists for the duration of your life and 70 years thereafter. However, if your video is a corporate work then in respect of the US a 'life plus 95' rule applies, it used to be 75 years but the 1998 Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act extended it to 95 years. There are some countries, for example Iran, where there are no copyright rules. Ib others, such as India, the term is 'life plus 60'. Once a copyright has expired the work passes into the Public Domain which allows for free reproduction at will. Now, although you automatically own the copyright the important thing is to be able to prove that you own it. You need to be able to prevent someone copying your work and claiming it to be their own. The easiest way to do this is to register your work with the Library of Congress for which you will need to complete a form, submit a copy of your work and pay the $30 fee. All the info you need is here... http://www.copyright.gov/register/performing.html The name of your company is a different matter altogether. Names, logos, slogans, phrases etc can not be copyrighted and it's for this reason that there can be different songs but with the same title. What you need to do here is to register your name as a trademark (or servicemark) and in the US this is done via the United States Patent and Trademark Office. You can register your application online from this page... http://www.uspto.gov/teas/index.html For further info... Copyright in the US... http://www.copyright.gov/ Trademarks in the US... http://www.uspto.gov/ Copyright on Wikipedia... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright Trademarks on Wikipedia... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademarks General Copyright Info... http://www.copyrightwitness.com/copyright/p02_protecting_copyright ---------------------------- Just to elaborate on one or two earlier answers... In days gone by people used to mail a copy of the work to themselves but if you do this you should use a secure delivery service as opposed to regular mail. This method is inferior to registering with the Library of Congress and offers limited protection. It's also impractical in many instances (e.g. mailing a website or a building to yourself). Use of the © (c in a circle logo) is not obligatory and doesn't affect copyright. You don't need to use a lawyer or other organisation, all they'll do is the same that you can do yourself for free. You don't have to apply to register a copyright - it's automatic as soon as you create something in tangible form. There is no need to re-register, once registered that's it. The laws may change in the future but if they do it's likely that copyright periods will be extended. This has happened in some countries and often occurs just before the works of a famous author are about to enter the public domain. Patents are not the same as copyrights. Patents apply to the way something is designed. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

certifiedtarotmaster	Oh, dear! No wonder there is so much copyright infraction on the web. Some of the answers you have been given are horrible! First things first, you cannot copyright the name of a company. You want to trademark that. Go to http://www.uspto.gov/web/trademarks/workflow/start.htm and follow the instructions. This is a sometimes lengthy and moderately expensive process, so be prepared to spend time and money. In the interim, make a logo of the company name and BEGIN USING it with the insignia tm following it. Use it often and use it with intent. (In other words, you can't just "hold it" ... you have to show that you intend to and are using the name for commerce.) As for copyright: 1) Make a copy of the video. Affix your copyright notice to it. For international copyright you should say Copyright [date] [your name or the name you want the copyright held in]. 2) YOU DO NOT HAVE TO REGISTER the copyright as has been pointed out. You can, indeed, mail a copy to yourself. That, however, isn't even necessary. BUT, and this is important~!, if someone else registers it, you are going to have a fight on your hands to prove you own it and you could easily lose. 3) Do, please, register your copyrighted work. It's the only really reliable manner for protection should you be infringed. Go to http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html and follow the instructions there. To find out more about registered your video go to http://www.copyright.gov/register/performing.html .. Please do it, it only costs $30 and it's well worth it. PS And ignore the people who gave you bad advice. I'm NOT a lawyer, but I own several trademarks and have been obtaining copyrights for nearly 40 years so I've been there and done that again and again. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

obscuremagic	http://www.copyright.gov/ Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No