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I note that Kindle pays Authors at a much higher rate if their stories are 'copyright' protected. I'm finding it rather expensive to get copyrighted....what have other Authors found to be the most cost-effective ??
The 'eCO' website charges $45 for a single work, and $65 for up to 10 separate works uploaded at the same time.
The Writers Guild appears to have free registration. Would this be considered valid protection ??
Are there any known-good avenues for copyrights ??
Nothing beats a copy right for protection. Only a copy right is incontrovertible, and it's protection is world-wide, for as far as American trade agreements can reach.
They were once difficult to submit and quite expensive, and there were always alternatives to them, but the laws all underwent drastic overhaul in the 1990s and they have been much easier to get and cost much less ever since.
(Congress decided the old law was stifling American innovation. It probably was.)
I don't know what the current filing fees are, but $45 is not expensive if it includes them. The filing fee was $25 for a very long time, but I'm not sure it still is.
In 1990, before the current copy right laws went into effect, copyrighting a single work cone much, much more for filing. I can't remember exactly how much it was, but it was at least $100.
If you want a form, they're available at any Post Office. The Writer's Guild might be a good deal, but you probably have to pay dues to get it, so as a bargain, it could be a wash. The forms themselves are pretty easy to understand and are straight forward in their directions.
I'm not guild member, so you'll have to check them out yourself.
I note that Kindle pays Authors at a much higher rate if their stories are 'copyright' protected. I'm finding it rather expensive to get copyrighted....what have other Authors found to be the most cost-effective ??
The 'eCO' website charges $45 for a single work, and $65 for up to 10 separate works uploaded at the same time.
The Writers Guild appears to have free registration. Would this be considered valid protection ??
Are there any known-good avenues for copyrights ??
The minute you write Copyright 2021 on it, whatever form it takes, it's copyrighted. That's it.
When is my work protected?
Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device.
Do I have to register with your office to be protected?
No. In general, registration is voluntary. Copyright exists from the moment the work is created. You will have to register, however, if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section “Copyright Registration.”
Why should I register my work if copyright protection is automatic?
Registration is recommended for a number of reasons. Many choose to register their works because they wish to have the facts of their copyright on the public record and have a certificate of registration. Registered works may be eligible for statutory damages and attorney's fees in successful litigation. Finally, if registration occurs within five years of publication, it is considered prima facie evidence in a court of law. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section “Copyright Registration” and Circular 38b, Highlights of Copyright Amendments Contained in the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA), on non-U.S. works.
Thank you for explaining this. I uploaded a Short Story to Kindle just to get the process down, and Kindle asks the 'Copyright Question' in a very authoritarian manner. I appreciate this information.
Side Bar Discussion --
If you don't mind my asking a question about your handle......what's the significance of those digits ??
At first I thought it was a Fibonacci sequence, but no. Then I multiplied it.....7134 ?? July 1st Birthday ??
Your copywrite is automatic. However you need to prove you wrote it and that you wrote it first. The safest way to do that is to register your work with the copyright office. However you can also put a draft in registered mail to yourself and never open it when it arrives. That will be some proof of the date you wrote it.
"...However you can also put a draft in registered mail to yourself and never open it when it arrives. That will be some proof of the date you wrote it."
"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."
"...However you can also put a draft in registered mail to yourself and never open it when it arrives. That will be some proof of the date you wrote it."
"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."
Look up "poor mans' copyright"
Copyright is automatic. All you have to do is write or draw something and it is copyrighted (see prior posts). The concern is proving you wrote the thing before anyone else did. Registration does nothing but provide prima facia evidence of your copyright. It does not guarantee a copyright, it merely shifts the burden of proof. Thus if you were to register a copyright for something I wrote, you still do not have a copyright on my work, however I have the burden of proving that I was the one who first wrote the work. If you registered your copyright of my stolen work in 2021, but I can prove I actually wrote the work two years before that - I still win. Your registration is meaningless. If I had registered my copyright in 2019, my win would be automatic. If I instead sent myself a copy via registered mail I would have to use the registered mail as evidence to convince a judge or jury that i wrote the work first. Given the registered mail trick is nearly incontrovertible evidence that I wrote the work then, I would still win. Same result.
In modern times there are other cheap ways to establish when you wrote something. For example, publish it on Kindle. E-mail it to ten friends. Anything that proves you wrote it when you wrote it is sufficient to protect a copyright. Registration is somewhat more surefire, but it is not a guarantee and it is not necessary to establish a copyright.
The fact the the copyright law dos no specifically address mailing the document to yourself is irrelevant. What the copyright law does address is the fact that if you prove you were the first to create the work - it is yours. The hundreds or thousands of potential ways you could prove you were the first to combine words int hat manner, or make that drawing, or photograph, is not addressed in the statute. How you prove your copyright is governed only by the rule of evidence, with the sole exception of the Copyright registration providing prima facia evidence. All that means is that instead of you having to prove your copyright, anyone contesting it has to disprove it. It shifts the burden of proof, nothing more.
This seems to be a question that newbie writers ask a lot. But the entire literary world isn't looking to rip you off.
If you're worrying about copyrights, you're worrying about the wrong thing at this stage of the game. You hear this question a lot at writing workshops and conferences. It's right up there with someone who has banged out 50,000 words during NaNoWriMo asking, "Hey, how do I get an agent?"
I'm not trying to trivialize the question. I'm just trying to say that it's a waste of energy and effort when you should focus on writing the best possible work you can.
Here's a pertinent question to ask: how much does it cost to defend your copyright?
Back in the 1980s, the answer was "over $10,000." I assume the loser of the lawsuit pays legal costs for both sides.
I don't know how much it would cost now, but back then I decided not to focus on copyright because I couldn't afford to lose. I also decided not to infringe on other's copyright. This plan has worked out well.
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