How to Copyright a Book, Script, or Creative Work for Free

When you create something, like a book, script, song, or poem, you have an automatic copyright. Proving that copyright, however, is important if a dispute arises. You can prove it for free.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hard copy of creative work
• Mailing address
• Shipping package and postage

1. 
   Copy your entire work.

   Create your work and make a copy of it. Printing a hard copy of a book or script or printing out song lyrics and making a recording of the music is vital. Make a full copy of the entire work.

2. 
   Get these boxes free at any Post Office

   Package the creative work in a safe shipping container or envelope. It should be something that is sturdy and can last many years. You can get a shipping box for free from the United States Post Office.

3. 
   A Free USPS Box

   Ship the well sealed box to yourself. The postmark date proves that you were the creator and when you created it. In the future, this can be used in court to prove you have the copyright. The only cost is mailing the package to yourself.

4. To go an extra step, you can register the work with the United States government copyright office. (Or the relevant office in your country). This has fees and is more complex and time consuming. If you are an author being published or musician selling albums on a large scale, this is a good idea.

Tips & Warnings

• Include all parts of your original work. Only what is included in the package is proof in a court case.
• Never open the package. Once it is open, it is no longer usable in a legal dispute.

Resources

• US Copyright Office
• Wikipedia: Copyright

[ali-c]

on 8/31/2009 This is known as 'poor man's copyright' and probably won't provide sufficient evidence in court. Instead, try registering your work online at http://www.digiprove.com/. It uses digital fingerprinting technology and issues a certificate to prove your ownership of the file.

[blindsquirrel]

on 8/14/2009 Thanks for this info. This will help protect your rights while you wait for the copyright office's response, 6-8 weeks turnaround.

[eric1985]

on 8/14/2009 Delaplane, the copyright office is probably best for anything that is extremely important. This method does work as evidence in a Untied States court.

[Delaplane]

on 8/14/2009 For anything important, I'm all for the Office US copyright

[alishacra]

on 3/30/2009 Great information - thank you!