I don’t want to pay for copyright registration, so I’m supposed to send myself a letter…?
By Yahoo User • Category: Copyrights Registrationwith the material I want to prove I own copyright on? Any more details I should know about? Should I right on the envelope what is inside so someone dosent say “Well he could have opened the envelope and put anything inside”.reevorb, it is already copyrighted, i just need in the future to prove my copyright if it is contested.
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.htmlhttp://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/
Send at least two to yourself and do not open either until or unless your copyright is contested. No need to write anything about the content. Make sure both have a clear postmark when you get them and store them in a safe place.If you need to send one to the government as proof later on, place the entire unopened letter in another envelope and mail it certified.
No, that doesn’t stand up in court. Get it copyrighted, or send it registered mail.
Differents issues.Sending the letter gives you a dated copy to prove that you had the material on a certain date. Sending a certified letter verifies that date-stamp, and the letter is left closed until needed during court proceedings.Registering the copyright, which I think costs $45 per work now, gives you many additional protections, including statutory damages for copyright violations. Without the registration, you would need to prove actual damages, which is much harder.
My wife copyrights things all the time ( music) it costs her 30 dollars, That is the only legal way to protect your material.So do it right, or it will not stand up in court.
I would suggest that mailing something to yourself in this day and age proves nothing except you have an envelope with a postmark on it.There’s nothing that says the envelope was even sealed when you mailed it, or that you didn’t open it by chemical means when you received it and put whatever you wanted in it.Writing on it proves nothing more than at some time, you wrote on the outside. There’s nothing to indicate when you did. And with scanners and half-decent ink jet or laser printers today, the postmark doesn’t necessarily even prove the envelope went through the mail.
Despite what others state, a “poor man’s” copyright is NOT the same as registering it. Here’s what the US Copyright Office has to say:”The practice of sending a copy of your own work to yourself is sometimes called a ‘poor man’s copyright.’ There is no provision in the copyright law regarding any such type of protection, and it is not a substitute for registration.”Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!
that would be a good Idea-this is what is called the poor mans copyright.
Spend the few bucks and have it notorized… maybe send it certified also.