Copyright is a legal type of property that helps secure original documents, art, music, literary work, and other forms of audio, visual, or written material from infringement. This term also denotes that you have the right to write, record, produce, publish, and transfer your work.
It’s is very simple to get copyright:Â
- Fill a form and provide your basic details
- Submit your documents that need copyright registration
- Get your application and documents prepared for filing by the legal attornies you choose.Â
- Once verified and approved, your application will be filed with the U.S copyright office.Â
- Your application will remain under the survey of concerned authorities until the final dispatch of your copyright certificate.
A lifetime from the date of copyright certificate issuance plus additional 70 years. For works created as a ghostwriter, or using a pseudonym, anonymously, or even through hire, the copyright will last up to 95 years from the time of publication or 120 years from the year of making. It all depends on what comes first and the timeframe or year of creation.
Copyright infringement is the usage of legally protected material whether written, digitalized, coded, recorded, or audio-visualized without the consent of the owner. Who, in turn, reserves the right to safeguard his/her property.
The initial Copyright registration will cost you $129 and onwards. It all depends upon the type of material you need copyrights for, and how you get yourself registered. Ideally, online registration fees are inexpensive than physical ones.
Yes, you have to provide a copy of your creatives or other forms of work. However, you must keep in mind that for published work you need to submit two copies instead of one. For more information on how to submit your creatives, contact us here.
Copyright is a legal framework that allows authors, artists, and other creators to protect original work. These include music, literary work, art, pantomimes, pictorials, scriptures, sculptures, audiovisuals, sound recordings, architectural work, and computer software.
It does not protect systematically thought ideas, factual information, methods of operation, and other forms of systems unless these are expressed in a video, audio, or written form.
Copyright is an intellectual property that only protects creatives with sufficient authorship. Titles, names, short lines, and slogans do not fall under this category. However, you can get names and titles trademarked with the help of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office.
You can upload an electronic copy of your work on our dashboard. Once you fill our form and submit your application, we will verify them and go through the electronic upload of your creatives. Upon verification, we will move ahead and file a copyright application on your behalf. We will mail your work directly to the United States Copyright Office and get your work registered officially.
It is not possible to make minute changes to creatives you have already submitted for copyright registration. Your work remains in the database safe and secure. Adding or amending a file that’s already in the process can cause confusion. It’s best if you register again and get your new material copyrighted.
As for those who need to make extensive changes, something that is large-scale, they can request a fresh claim. For example, adding a whole new chapter to a book or else adding one more song to the album. These major changes will warrant a new registration, provided, of course, you follow the guidelines properly.
The US Copyright Office has a procedure in place to review and clear applications submitted for registration. Depending on how long the process takes and factors such as physical deposit submission, contacting the applicant for correspondence, and specialists available to review the work, the concerned authorities will move ahead accordingly.
In some cases, it may take two months and in others more than six months. The concerned official will move forward according to the type of artwork, questions associated with the applicant, and how well does he/she follows the guidelines.
We understand the process of registering is not simple and easy. For someone who is registering their work for the first time, it might take you a while to understand the legal procedure. This is where we come in. You can take our help. We will submit your documents, your work, and we will also take care of every important piece of paperwork related to your copyright registration.
No, it is not mandatory to publish your work in order to get a certificate of copyright.
Yes, you can protect architectural work. On December 1, 1990, architectural work became subject to copyright registration. This means any plans or drawings created after the aforementioned date are eligible for protection. Any plans designed before Dec 1, 1990, cannot be copyrighted.
Yes, you can, provided you fill all the documents properly and follow the guidelines given by the concerned authorities. For instance, you can submit your album and scripts under one application. The US Copyright Office will process one application for all your works. Although, keep in mind that the process might take a few months or even more, depending upon the length and type of work you have submitted.
No, you cannot copyright your idea. The Copyright rules do not have a provision for protecting concepts, ideation, or procedures of initiating a task. You can only protect your idea if you express it in the form of a picture, write about it, create a film, or make a video. In this case, your work will remain protected, but not your idea in its original form.