How to copyright something?

[paruhd0x]

I'm curious on how I could copyright my photos I take. I got a digital camera about a month and a half ago and have come up with some awesome images. What do I have to go about doing to copyright my images? Reason I ask is, at some point I might use some of the photos I took for a business website in the future. Thanks in advanced, any information is appreciated.

 

[minendo]

http://www.loc.gov/copyright/

 

[Encryptic]

I believe all you have to do is just put the copyright symbol on your pictures along with your name. ::shrug::

 

[Jzero]

Tehcnically, your copyright is implicit. You can improve things by adding something that says "Copyright (C) 2003 <Your Name> All rights reserved." Watermarks or other things that can help you prove that you are the creator can also help.

 

[Yax]

$15 grand and a lawyer.

 

[xchangx]

I believe all you have to do is just put the copyright symbol on your pictures along with your name. ::shrug::

That won't work. If you go to court, you have to prove that it was your creation. Just adding a symbol to it won't work. You have to register it, cost $20 and some forms. I'm not sure if you can submit a group of photos or if you'll have to submit each photo.

 

[SoylentGreen]

Your answers

 

[Lithium381]

Originally posted by: xchangx

I believe all you have to do is just put the copyright symbol on your pictures along with your name. ::shrug::

That won't work. If you go to court, you have to prove that it was your creation. Just adding a symbol to it won't work. You have to register it, cost $20 and some forms. I'm not sure if you can submit a group of photos or if you'll have to submit each photo.

well you might be able to submit them as a whole in one work as an album..:-\
but technically anything you create is yours and it's copyrighted, but PROVING it is is the hardpart....register it with the library of congress...i think it's actually $30 now

 

[Harvey]

Originally posted by: cheapbidder01
$15 grand and a lawyer.

That's almost right for a patent, but a copyright is easy and cheap. All you have to do is submit the forum with any copy of what you want to copyright. For songs, you can even do it by submitting a cassette or CD. You may be able to do the same for a photo stored in electronic form.

For a patent, you can use a patent agent, instead of an attorney. A patent agent can do everything a patent attorney can do, except go to court on your behalf to defend a patent. My first patent cost me around $20,000, and I used an attorney. My second patent cost around $2,500. I wrote my own application, and I used a great patent agent who charged $75/hr. to edit it for me, instead of an attorney who charges aroung $300/hr.

 

[LethalWolfe]

Originally posted by: xchangx

I believe all you have to do is just put the copyright symbol on your pictures along with your name. ::shrug::

That won't work. If you go to court, you have to prove that it was your creation. Just adding a symbol to it won't work. You have to register it, cost $20 and some forms. I'm not sure if you can submit a group of photos or if you'll have to submit each photo.

What many film photographers do is submit a proof sheet so they can get 2 or 3 dozen pictures copyrighted at one time. For digital photos I assume you could resize them and cram 24 or 36 onto a single sheet of paper and send that in. I honestly don't know though.


Lethal

 

[BruinEd03]

Originally posted by: LethalWolfe

Originally posted by: xchangx

I believe all you have to do is just put the copyright symbol on your pictures along with your name. ::shrug::

That won't work. If you go to court, you have to prove that it was your creation. Just adding a symbol to it won't work. You have to register it, cost $20 and some forms. I'm not sure if you can submit a group of photos or if you'll have to submit each photo.

What many film photographers do is submit a proof sheet so they can get 2 or 3 dozen pictures copyrighted at one time. For digital photos I assume you could resize them and cram 24 or 36 onto a single sheet of paper and send that in. I honestly don't know though.


Lethal

Easy.

*edit* oh and you can copyright more than 1 image w/ that $30. You can copyright as much as you want.

-Ed

 

[TonyG]

I don't know the legality of this, but I have a friend who does some writing and when he comes up with something he really likes and thinks that he may try to do something with in the future, he will mail himself a sealed copy of it so it has a postmark date on it and leave it still sealed and put away to prove the basic time frame that he wrote it.

 

[Jzero]

Originally posted by: TonyG
I don't know the legality of this, but I have a friend who does some writing and when he comes up with something he really likes and thinks that he may try to do something with in the future, he will mail himself a sealed copy of it so it has a postmark date on it and leave it still sealed and put away to prove the basic time frame that he wrote it.

The "poor man's copyright." It does provide a fairly solid evidence of the date it was mailed, which could be sufficient.