I have (literally) hundreds of photos that i wan/need to copyright. I don't really know where to start... I know there is a fee, and I don;t know if i have to pay it for each photo or for the whole group. Can i send my photos to the copyright office on CD, or do i have to print them all out (what a hassle that would be!) HELP!!!

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Since you took the photos, you already own the copyright to them. If you wish to register them with the U.S. Copyright office, read this http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl107.html Good luck

you hold the copyright, IF YOU TOOK THE PHOTOS... if you want to display them somewhere, like flickr, you can always add a copyright to the photo...

Are you a professional in the USA who regularly sells images for web and mag usage? If not then there is absolutely no requirement to register your images. copyright is automatic as soon as you press the shutter button. The only reason to register them in the US (does not have to be done in other more aware countries) is that if one is stolen and used elsewhere then you can sue for more than if not registered. If you do not usually sell your work then any amount you may get for an infringement is irrespective of whether you spend money registering or not. check here http://www.copyright.gov/

Here is what the US Copyright Office's web page says to do: Visual Art Works Follow these steps to register your pictorial, graphic, sculptural, or architectural work: Step 1 Make sure your work is a visual arts work. Visual arts are pictorial, graphic, or sculptural works, including 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional works of fine, graphic, and applied art. Here are examples of visual arts. "Useful articles" may have both copyrightable and noncopyrightable features (read details). Some architectural works also qualify as visual arts works (read details). Step 2 Put into one envelope or package: a completed application Form VA and Form CON if needed. a $45 payment to "Register of Copyrights." nonreturnable copy(ies) of the material to be registered. Read details on deposit requirements. Please read this important notice about mail delivery disruption. Step 3 Send the package to: Library of Congress Copyright Office 101 Independence Avenue, S.E. Washington, D.C. 20559-6000 Your registration becomes effective on the day that the Copyright Office receives your application, payment, and copy(ies) in acceptable form. If your submission is in order, you will receive a certificate of registration in approximately 4 months. http://www.copyright.gov/register/visual.html Just do what they tell you to do and you'll get it copyrighted. I've had things copyrighted before, It really does take four months to get the certificate back. But, the copyright will be effective as of the date that they receive it.

"Copyright Is Automatic? Yes, thanks to the Berne Convention. At the moment of creation, when the artwork is "fixed" in some tangible form, copyright applies automatically. For a photographer, when you press the shutter release you are making a photo and gaining copyright to that photo at the same time. You don't have to declare copyright or file any paperwork. It is yours to keep until you explicitly give it away or you die (copyright expires after you, the duration in the U.S. is the author's lifetime plus 70 years). That said, there is an advantage to filing for copyright. If a dispute arises, you can get punitive damages (in addition to compensatory damages) if a form was filed before infringement." The links covers all aspects of copyright.

I was just about to start to describe the different treatment for published and unpublished photographic works and the differences in dates of publication, when I remembered a site by a photographer that does a great job telling you just what to do in each case, as well as I ever could, so why reinvent the wheel? Just go here: http://www.peterkrogh.com/copyright/main.html

If you took 'em and didn't give them away or sell them you already hold the copyright. You don't need to do anything else. Sounds like you are comparing copyright to a patent which is a different thing. If you are going to put them out there in public and want to protect your rights, insert a copyright notice on the photo with a watermark or a comment in the EXIF.

I learned just enough last year about copyright law to protect some pictures my company was using in its catalogs. By default, all your photographs already have copyright protection. But, to protect yourself (and to increase your case in court, if ever needed), you can add the following to your pictures: "Copyright © 2007 {your name}" That's it. There is more you can do, but it costs money and you'll probably never need it. You can find more out at www.copyright.gov. Here are a few excerpts: How to Secure a Copyright Copyright Secured Automatically upon Creation The way in which copyright protection is secured is frequently misunderstood. No publication or registration or other action in the Copyright Office is required to secure copyright. (See following note.) There are, however, certain definite advantages to registration. See “Copyright Registration.” Copyright is secured automatically when the work is created, and a work is “created” when it is fixed in a copy or phonorecord for the first time. “Copies” are material objects from which a work can be read or visually perceived either directly or with the aid of a machine or device, such as books, manuscripts, sheet music, film, videotape, or microfilm. “Phonorecords” are material objects embodying fixations of sounds (excluding, by statutory definition, motion picture soundtracks), such as cassette tapes, CDs, or LPs. Thus, for example, a song (the “work”) can be fixed in sheet music (“copies”) or in phonograph disks (“phonorecords”), or both. If a work is prepared over a period of time, the part of the work that is fixed on a particular date constitutes the created work as of that date. Copyright Registration In general, copyright registration is a legal formality intended to make a public record of the basic facts of a particular copyright. However, registration is not a condition of copyright protection. Even though registration is not a requirement for protection, the copyright law provides several inducements or advantages to encourage copyright owners to make registration. Among these advantages are the following: Registration establishes a public record of the copyright claim. Before an infringement suit may be filed in court, registration is necessary for works of U.S. origin. If made before or within 5 years of publication, registration will establish prima facie evidence in court of the validity of the copyright and of the facts stated in the certificate. If registration is made within 3 months after publication of the work or prior to an infringement of the work, statutory damages and attorney's fees will be available to the copyright owner in court actions. Otherwise, only an award of actual damages and profits is available to the copyright owner. Registration allows the owner of the copyright to record the registration with the U. S. Customs Service for protection against the importation of infringing copies. For additional information, go to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website at www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/import. Click on “Intellectual Property Rights.” Registration may be made at any time within the life of the copyright. Unlike the law before 1978, when a work has been registered in unpublished form, it is not necessary to make another registration when the work becomes published, although the copyright owner may register the published edition, if desired