Copyright Made Easy

How to copyright protection your creative work

Some people confuse patents, copyrights, and trademarks. Although there may be some similarities among these kinds of intellectual property protection, they are different and serve different purposes.

What Is a Copyright?

Copyright is a form of protection provided to the authors of "original works of authorship" including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works, both published and unpublished. The 1976 Copyright Act generally gives the owner of copyright the exclusive right to reproduce the copyrighted work, to prepare derivative works, to distribute copies or phonorecords of the copyrighted work, to perform the copyrighted work publicly, or to display the copyrighted work publicly.

The copyright protects the form of expression rather than the subject matter of the writing. For example, a description of a machine could be copyrighted, but this would only prevent others from copying the description; it would not prevent others from writing a description of their own or from making and using the machine. Copyrights are registered by the Copyright Office of the Library of Congress.

Copyright Lawsuits: Critical Issues Before Filing Copyright
Federa Rule 11(b) Considerations

Battered Spouse, Parent, Or Child – Steps Towards A Successful VAWA Petition
A spouse, child or parent who has been subject to extreme cruelty ...

Fundamentals of Copyright and the Problem with Lost Owners: unintended consequences (Part Two)
As discussed in The Fundamentals of Copyright and the Problem with Lost Owners (Part One) the exclusive rights of copyright attach automatically to a work, whether a photograph or a poem, once it has been transposed into tangible form...

WIPO Copyright Committee Considers Many Proposals for 2008 Work Program
WIPO Copyright Committee: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back  ‘Broadcast Treaty Chair’ Remains, Limitations and Exceptions to Copyright Considered (15 March 2008)  The WIPO Copyright Committee (SCCR) met from 10-12 March 2008 in Geneva to debate the future work program for the committee after the Member States of the WIPO General Assembly told the committee last Fall [...

Copyright Law #1: Introduction to Copyright I
In this, the first episode of Copyright Law, we begin a high-level overview of what copyright is...

Digital Copyright Slider
Thanks to The Wired Campus, I stumbled across this nifty digital copyright tool developed by the American Library Association’s Copyright Advisory Network (in the Office for Information Technology Policy)...

Copyright Law #2: Introduction to Copyright II
Copyright applies to a wide variety of works, even types of expression that are newly created (and not explicitly referenced in the copyright act)...

Cultural v. Commercial Uses
Cory Doctorow: "Copyright law should distinguish between commercial and cultural uses" (2008) Professor L...

what are the proper and legal steps to dissolve a partnership in an ongoing farm business?
I would say that the final tax forms are dispersed for that year with the indica...

What steps do I need to take to deed my house to my future ex-husband who I am preparing to divorce after 19 years of marriage?
You can record a " Quit claim " that relinquishes your interest in the...

Am I liable for my husband's debts? We are living separately but not legally separated. We have always handled our financial matters separately. What steps can I take to ensure I am not held responsible for his debts? (s
I know in California you are responsible, so chances are probably in Oregon too,...

What legal steps can be taken to seek protection from a person threating bodily harm indirectly?
You need to obtain an order of protection. You will need to request the Order of...

Risk assessment?
Roughly, risk assessment consists of reviewing three pieces of your IT infrastru...