tinkertee

Quote: Originally Posted by intref Thanks for the response. I called up US Copyright office and they answered my other question that we are copyrighting the design or the artwork and not colors. They also said that I can copyright a collections of designs in the same application instead od=f submitting seperate application (and fee) for each one of them.

I'm currently in the process of copyrighting my designs. I understand that I can combine them, but I am confused as to how I would go about that.

Do I just buy a portfolio folder and put them all in and send it in a manila envelope with the form and check?

Also, under box 1 of Form VA that asks for the "Title of This Work", do I put all the titles of all the designs (i.e. Frog, Cat, Mouse, etc.) or just the theme, which is the main title (Animal)?

Lastly, speaking of titles, am I required to label all the pages with their titles?

Thanks so much!

 

Reply With Quote

Unknown Entity

I'm actually in the same boat. These are the same questions I've come across. Hopefully, someone out there can provide us with some info.

 

Reply With Quote

aspenlht

Use a digital camera, photograph all your work, call it abc collection, one piece of art per image. Use the camera assingned image number, record that number on your original art work. Burn a cd of the images, also include a digital contact sheet. Fill out the forms, include the check, and you should be good to go. I always send the package Fedex, think it avoids some of the scanning that could damage a Cd.
Hope this helps, Bill

 

Reply With Quote

Marbles

Hmm... dunno about that.
Copyright Office Basics

 

Reply With Quote

aspenlht

Could you expand on the I dunno, that covers many 100's of pages of copyright information.
Published vs. unpublished, photos vs. original design work? Not sure where the " I dunno" is coming from.
Value of registering vs. not registering?
Bill

 

Reply With Quote

Marbles

well to be specific, the wording of the initial question regarded merely copyrighting the material. The link I posted refers to the section of the copyright website which says that the process of copyrighting requires no paperwork or submission or payment of any sort, which directly contradicts what your response said. Registration is a different matter than copyrighting to be technical. So the question is really is the person clear on whether they want their work copyrighted or registered?

 

Reply With Quote

aspenlht

O.K. now I am with you.
Where I am coming from is the point of view that Copyright without having it registered is pretty much worthless for the type of intellectual property we are talking about here. The only damages you may collect without registering are actual proved damages. This can get very expensive and rack up huge attorney fees.
If you have registered your Copyright, you are eligible for punitive damages. In the Photo world this is usually 10 times a standard value of $1500.00. Most attorneys will take this on for a % at no cost to you. Its a slam dunk with a registered image. If you can show a higher value based on sales, all the better ca-ching.
So what I am really saying, is if you feel your design has real $$ Possibilities register it.
Yes your images are automatically Copyrighted when created, where one goes from their is up to the individual.

Take Care, Bill

 

Reply With Quote

Solmu

Quote: Originally Posted by Marbles well to be specific, the wording of the initial question regarded merely copyrighting the material. The link I posted refers to the section of the copyright website which says that the process of copyrighting requires no paperwork or submission or payment of any sort, which directly contradicts what your response said.

The link you gave also explains why copyright protection without registration in the US is more or less a technicality. The US didn't want to have automatic copyright protection on the creation of work (and until relatively recently, didn't), so while international treaties have forced them into changing their stance on that, you have pretty much no legal protection until you register: Copyright Office Basics: Copyright Registration

"Before an infringement suit may be filed in court, registration is necessary for works of U.S. origin."

So without registration your copyright means what exactly... you can say "Hey! That's mine! Stop it! Or I'll do what I'm legally entitled to do about it... which is absolutely nothing!"?

__________________
Ceci n'est pas une autographe.

 

Reply With Quote