Obtaining Copyright in the Bahamas

Copyrights provide legal protection for intellectual properties and creative works.

Copyrights are designed to provide legal protection against the theft of creative works and other forms of intellectual property. The laws that govern copyright protection vary from one country to another, though the laws do often provide similar protections. While many copyright laws allow for the automatic copyright of intellectual works upon creation, registering the copyright allows the owner to prove without a doubt that the work is their property. In the Bahamas, copyright registration is handled by the Registrar General's Department.

Things You'll Need

• $10 registration fee
• Finalized copy of the work being copyrighted

Instructions

1. Contact the office of the Registrar General's Department by calling [phone] or [phone], or by sending an email to [e-mail]. Request a copyright application form. As of 2010 this form is not available from the Registrar General's Department website.

2. Fill out the copyright application form in its entirety. Place it in an envelope with a check or money order for $10 and a copy of the work being copyrighted.

3. Mail the application packet to the Companies & Intellectual Properties Section of the Registrar General's Department office at 50 Shirley Street, P. O. Box N532.

4. Wait for the Registrar General's Department to file the application, examine your claim to make sure that the work is original, and finally to approve the copyright. Depending on the volume of application that the Department has received this may take several months. Once a claim has been approved, a copyright certificate will be mailed to the address submitted on your application.

Tips & Warnings

• The Registrar General's Department handles both the copyrighting of intellectual property and design copyright for logos and other trademarked images. When requesting copyright registration forms, make sure that you request standard copyright forms for intellectual property and not design copyright forms.

• Include a copyright statement indicating your name and the year of first publication on all copies of copyrighted works.

• The copy of your work that you submit to the Registrar General's Department will not be returned; make sure that you do not send the only copy of your work.

References

• Bahamas Statute Law: Chapter 323 Copyright
• Government of the Bahamas: Intellectual Properties
• Government of the Bahamas: Contacts