Summary of Copyright Law
Copyright law is a way for an author to protect his work from being stolen, used or sold without his permission. Copyright protection is actually granted the moment an author creates a tangible and legible form of his work. Although this means registering a work with the United States Copyright Office is voluntary, in order to file a lawsuit, registration is necessary.
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History
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In the United States, an author has the right, not just privilege, to benefit from his work. This is why copyright is a right grounded in the Constitution. This also allows Congress to pass copyright laws; the first was created in May 1790. In 1870, the system that handled copyrighting became part of the Library of Congress. Then in 1897, this system became its own department under the Library of Congress, The Copyright Office.
Purpose
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According to the United States Copyright Office, "copyright" means the right to copy. This gives authors sole authority on original, intellectual works. This authority in form of rights lets authors recreate, distribute, display and perform their work. It also prevents other people from recreating, distributing, displaying and performing this work without the owner's permission.
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Registration
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According to the United States Copyright Office, to register a work, authors must fill out application form, have a nonreturnable copy of the work they wish copyrighted, and (as of 2010) have $50 for the filing fee ($35 if the registration is done through the electronic Copyright Office).
Benefits of Registration
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Registering a work automatically creates a public record of the work and shows proof of its existence. It also gives a work the possibility of obtaining statutory damages and attorney's fees if it becomes involved in a court case. The practice of sending a copy of the work to yourself in the mail, also called a "poor man's copyright," is not the same as registering a work with the United States Copyright Office. In fact, there is no mention of its protection in copyright law.
Considerations
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According to the United States Copyright Office, copyright protects an author's original works, which can include "literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic works, such as poetry, novels, movies, songs, computer software and architecture." However, copyright laws do not include protection of facts, ideas, inventions, discoveries, systems, methods of operation, phrases or symbols. In this way, it is different from a patent and a trademark.
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