ALL ABOUT COPYRIGHT PROTECTION, REGISTRATION, AND DURATION by ResearchCopyright.com

In the United States, whenever a work is completed in a tangible form, either as a physical item or as a piece computer code, it is under copyright protection. This is no different for visual arts, such as paintings or pictures, works of a literary type, such as books, music, recordings, or even the designs of boats.

Many people choose to register their works with the Copyright Office. The main reason for registering is so there is public record of the copyright and a certificate of registration. This helps with any kind of copyright infringement litigation, either as the defendant or the plaintiff as it shows the exact date the US Government decreed the work in question to be under copyright protection.

You can go to http://www.copyright.gov/ to register a new copyright in the United States. Complete the application. At the website, you will find the application showing the following:

1. A copyright application form.

2. The filing fee.

3. A non-returnable deposit of the work being registered (A copy of the book, image, painting, etc.)

The work is registered effective on the day the Copyright Office receives the three items, regardless of how long the Office takes to process the work and mail the certificate of registration.

From the Copyright Office's website, they say a copyright is a protection given to the creators of "original works of authorship"—these would include literary, musical, dramatic, and other works of an intellectual nature. This copyright gives the owner the right to copy their work and distribute it as they see fit. It gives them the right to sell the work, lend the work, display it publicly, or lock it in a closet and never allow another living person to view it.

The length of a copyright term has changed often throughout the history of this country, but for works created after January 1, 1978 copyright lasts for the author's life plus 70 years. For works made for hire, anonymous, and pseudonymous works (unless the real author's identity is listed in the Copyright Office's records) the duration is 95 years from the date of publication or 120 years from the creation of the work, whichever comes first.

In the past, copyright was something that had to be applied for, granted, and then renewed after so many years. Some items have passed into the public domain due to not being renewed in the past or for failure to have a copyright symbol properly affixed to the work. For works created today, this is no longer the case. All work is copyrighted as soon as it has been created, but many people opt to have their work officially registered in the Copyright Office in case they have to file litigation against someone for infringing upon their work.

Having a copyright registered with the Copyright Office helps the creator in that the government has a legal record of the creator registering the copyright. This will help battle those who would plagiarize your work, steal your work, or otherwise infringe upon your right to declare how your work should be copied and distributed.

Once the Copyright paperwork has been filed, or before, since all work is awarded a copyright as soon as it has been created, you should place the following three elements:

2. The year the publication was first published. If the work is a compilation containing material that was previously published, the year of the compilation is enough.

3. The name of the copyright owner.

This is for "visually perceptible copies"—for sound recordings, the © symbol is not used, instead the letter P in a circle is used to denote sound recordings.

In the United States for works created after January 1, 1978 copyright lasts for the author's life plus 70 years. For works made for hire, anonymous, and pseudonymous works (unless the real author's identity is listed in the Copyright Office's records) the duration is 95 years from the date of publication or 120 years from the creation of the work, whichever comes first.