Protect your work by letting others know you own it and who they need to contact for permission to use it. It's easier than you might think.
Find out more about Copyrights
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by Crystal Everson, J.D.
Crystal Everson was admitted to the state bar of New York and has since retired from the practice of law. She holds a...
Updated on: July 30, 2024 · 2 min read
When you create an original work, it is automatically protected under copyright law. However, if you ever wish to bring a copyright infringement case before the court, you need to ensure that you have registered your copyright. Whether or not your work is registered, you should make it a point to use a copyright notice on all of your work to protect your rights.
A copyright notice is a voluntary statement placed on your work to inform the public that you own the work and that it is protected by copyright law. A copyright notice serves to:
A copyright notice does not actually protect your work—the mere act of creating it does that. Instead, it acts as way to hang out your shingle and let the world know that your work exists, that you own it, and permission must be granted if someone wishes to use it.
A copyright notice is optional for unpublished works, foreign works, and works published after March 1, 1989, when the United States signed on to the Berne Convention. Even though you are no longer required to use the copyright notice on published works, you should, because it adds an extra layer of protection.
A copyright notice is so simple and straightforward that you can create one within minutes. There are four essential parts to a standard copyright notice:
When you put all four parts together, you get a copyright notice that looks like this: © 2019 ABC Corporation.
Place the copyright notice where people can easily see it, such as in the footer of your website. Copyright notices on a website or blog should use a date range like © 2018-2019 ABC Corporation to ensure that all of the content on the site is protected. If the copyrighted work is tangible, place the notice on the outside or somewhere highly visible. Digital works should include the notice on the terms and agreements page.
A copyright notice is entirely optional, but you would be doing yourself a disservice if you don't use it, particularly because it's so simple to do so and the benefits are significant. Registering your copyright adds an extra layer of protection should someone commit infringement.
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