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| | The Write and Publish Fiction Network is not currently active and cannot accept new posts | | Hi | Views: 673 | | Dec 28, 2005 11:36 pm | | re: Hi | # | 
Jason Moser | | Hi Pooja,
Legally, a copyright is active as soon as you start writing. I don't have much time to write right now but if you visit my site at http://www.write-and-publish-fiction.com/copywriting.html for some great information about copyrights. There's never a guarantee that no one will steal your work. But if you have a valid copyright, it will hold up in court if you pursue someone who takes your work.
Hope this information helps.
Jason Moser
Write and Publish FictionPrivate Reply to Jason Moser | | Dec 29, 2005 4:45 am | | re: Hi | # | 
Kara Lennox | | Pooja--
Here in the US, we don't worry about copyright protecting our manuscripts. Publishers simply don't steal books, and our copyright laws protect anything that is written, whether it's registered or not. If a publisher likes a book enough to steal it, they'll buy it--they would rather not be sued! Believe me, they are LOOKING for something good to buy.
Film scripts are a different matter. Those should be registered, which you can do electronically through the Writer's Guild website.
Try checking out the Writer's Guild (www.wga.org, I think). That's where you can register screenplays, but you maybe can also register other types of manuscripts for a nominal fee.
I hope this is helpful,
KaraPrivate Reply to Kara Lennox | | Dec 29, 2005 5:48 am | | re: re: Hi | # |
Priya L | | Hi!
Thanks for the post!
Checking out the link now! :)
Rgds
PoojaPrivate Reply to Priya L | | Dec 30, 2005 4:26 pm | | re: Hi | # |
Jason Moser | | Hi Pooja,
I'm still looking in to exactly how to protect your work for submission out of the country. I found this link on the Berne Convention. http://www.law.cornell.edu/treaties/berne/overview.html This has the actual laws and articles concerning protection of your literary and artistic works world wide, but does not protect your work outside of the US.
Here's some more information that should help: http://www.bitlaw.com/copyright/international.html
Particularly, paragraph 5 states there is no such thing as an international copyright, but you have to check with the countries in question for their laws on Copyrighting. There are some countries out there that recognize US copyrights.
I hope that helps a little. Please let me know.
Jason
Private Reply to Jason Moser | | Dec 31, 2005 5:22 am | | re: Hi | # |
Saritha Rao | | Hi Pooja,
I came across this link. Hope it's useful.
http://www.templetons.com/brad/copymyths.html
The laws differ for India and it's best if you consult someone in the legal profession, who knows about Intellectual Property Rights. Even if the publishers are abroad, you reside in India and if in case of any legal tussle, will be operating out of here.
A lawyer friend of mine mentioned that legally copyrighting everything one writes proves very expensive. Be diligent in your paperwork to publishers. Keep a copy.
Another idea a friend gave was that when you complete writing something, email the document to yourself and save that email. That apparently holds good as a means of proving it's your work.
Hope this helped.
Cheers!
SarithaPrivate Reply to Saritha Rao | | Jan 11, 2006 12:25 am | | The cheap man's way to copyright! | # |
Jason Moser | | Hi Saritha, great advice. What I do (cause I'm very picky about where I spend my money) is seal my manuscripts, poetry, or a diskette with my webcontent on it into an envelope, send it to my self (the postmark, if the package remains sealed in its original package) and file it away. If you ever want to pursue a copyright infringement, do not open the package until you are in front of the court pleading your case. Even though it is not filed with any country for "copyright", it still shows that you are the original author of the content and will hold up in court. I saw this in one of those writer's books a few years back and have been doing it ever since.
The cheap man's way to copyright!
Jason Moser
Administrator
http://www.write-and-publish-fiction.comPrivate Reply to Jason Moser | | Jan 11, 2006 7:32 am | | re: The cheap man's way to copyright! | # |
Priya L | | Thanks!
Its a brilliant idea! Will try it out! Private Reply to Priya L | | |
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