tomoc (11/24/82)
Does anyone out there know exactly how one goes about getting songs copyrighted. I`ve got a bunch of song lyrics that I`ve put together over the past few years (no music, I`m no good at that), and have dabbled with the idea of sending them out to record companies and the like. Before I do that, I think I should get all of my lyrics copy- righted, to protect my possible chance of having a hit song on my hands and having it stolen away from me and wind up making zilch. Yeah. I know I`m probably just dreaming, but I`d still like to cover myself in case a miracle comes up. Anyway, if somebody can tell me what I have to do to get the lyrics copyrighted, costs, etc., I`d really appreciate it loads. Maybe I`ll even give you a portion of my royalties on my song "The Computer`s Down, My Code`s Not Commented, Oh For More Microchip Blues." Tom O`Connor ixlpc!tomoc
ark (11/24/82)
Let me start by saying that I am not a lawyer, so don't believe anything I say about law. However, I do believe that the following statements are true. They are based on a few articles I have read about the old and new copyright laws, differences between them, and so on. My impression is that if you put a copyright notice on a document, that is sufficient to copyright it. If you want to register the copyright, you can send a copy to the Library of Congress along with a (fairly nominal) fee and they will register it. It is illegal for someone to copy a copyrighted work whether it is registered or not, but before you can prosecute you must register it. It does not matter if the work is registered before or after the unauthorized copy was made. The appropriate form for a copyright notice is Copyright <year> <your name> I also think that if you are really serious about protecting your rights, you should consult an attorney.