Copyrighting
Moderators: Admin, Moderator Team
Copyrighting
I'm sure this topic has probably been mentioned before but i cannot see it anywhere - i need new eyes...
How do i go about copyrighting my scripts. Ive heard a thousand different methods but emailing it to myself like someone suggested - just sounds rediculous to me...
Please help me solve this problem...
Cheers
How do i go about copyrighting my scripts. Ive heard a thousand different methods but emailing it to myself like someone suggested - just sounds rediculous to me...
Please help me solve this problem...
Cheers
-
- Forum Master
- Posts: 3897
- Joined: Wed Sep 17, 2003 4:13 am
- Location: Orange County, California
- Contact:
A good way is to time stamp and seal a copy of the script. Then store it in a safety deposit box or something of that nature, where an official signs and seals it. Shouldn't cost you anything, but at most a few bucks. So then if you find your script out in the open and someone else has claimed it. You can bring a lawyer in and open the timestamped package for him. That is proof that you created it first, if it does not coincide with his claims. Lawsuit, and you are a rich sucker!
WW2 Reenacting:
AAA-O :: Anything, Anywhere, Anytime, Bar Nothing!
AAA-O :: Anything, Anywhere, Anytime, Bar Nothing!
-
- Forum Veteran
- Posts: 2446
- Joined: Fri Jul 04, 2003 8:20 pm
- Location: Vrigina Commonwelth University
- Contact:
Exactly, and also if you ever post your work online, look at the site and see if they have a clasue that will help to protect you if somebody tryes to steal your work. I am going to in a few weeks I'm going to send stuff to myself and look into at lest copywritting the feture that I want to make soon.
Not doing it that way, you won't see a penny. Mailing it to yourself, emailing, timestamping before a notary are all methods of what is called 'poor man's copyright' and have no value in court other than to prove first right of creation. UNLESS you register the project witht he US copyright office ( not any of the writer's guilds that does not imply copyright ) you can sue only for direct loss - the value you can prove you lost by someone else producing the script - there are no punitive or other "imaginary" damages.. the ones that would make you rich. Even then, it is up to the court to determine IF your particular method is even valid proof of first creation, since the law does not specifically specify any of these methods as a valid proof of creation. Even then the best you can hope to get is a cease and desist order to the infringer, and your actual loss, not projected loss or punitive damages. The only way to truly protect yourself is to register your work with the copyright office, in the US that's $35.00.Epsilon wrote:A good way is to time stamp and seal a copy of the script. Then store it in a safety deposit box or something of that nature, where an official signs and seals it. Shouldn't cost you anything, but at most a few bucks. So then if you find your script out in the open and someone else has claimed it. You can bring a lawyer in and open the timestamped package for him. That is proof that you created it first, if it does not coincide with his claims. Lawsuit, and you are a rich sucker!
The UNDERGROUND
[url]http://theundergroundtv.com[/url]
Music television for unsigned bands
[url]http://theundergroundtv.com[/url]
Music television for unsigned bands