Lorelei Douglas
Hmmm...
I'm not sure the mail back routine is necessary though? The fact that you appear on AT, TGC and various other blogs provides verification of your ownership and the dates. Although including your name, copyright symbol and date is very wise to do indeed.
I found the website below very enlightening and comforting...
http://www.publicdomainsherpa.com/index.html
Here is the section defining what copyright means:
"Copyright protection is automatic
A work is protected by copyright as soon as it’s fixed in tangible form. “Fixed in tangible form” means you can see or hear or touch the work, whether by looking, listening to, or touching the thing itself ... or perceiving it by means of a machine or device (like a movie projector or a computer).
You don’t have to register with the Copyright Office to get a copyright. You used to, but not anymore. (But you do need a registration if you want to sue someone for copyright infringement).
You don’t have to mark your work as copyrighted, either. (That used to be required, too.) But marking a work as copyrighted gives people notice that someone owns the legal rights, so most copyright owners do put notices on their works."
Yes - if you publish something it is understood to be 'copyrighted' by you - BUT - you don't have to do a registry or all that to have it copyrighted - but you do have to have the © - year - your name on it somewhere - and do the 'mail it back to yourself routine' so that it has a postmark on the envelope (and NEVER NEVER OPEN THE ENVELOPE).
I'm not sure the mail back routine is necessary though? The fact that you appear on AT, TGC and various other blogs provides verification of your ownership and the dates. Although including your name, copyright symbol and date is very wise to do indeed.
I found the website below very enlightening and comforting...
http://www.publicdomainsherpa.com/index.html
Here is the section defining what copyright means:
"Copyright protection is automatic
A work is protected by copyright as soon as it’s fixed in tangible form. “Fixed in tangible form” means you can see or hear or touch the work, whether by looking, listening to, or touching the thing itself ... or perceiving it by means of a machine or device (like a movie projector or a computer).
You don’t have to register with the Copyright Office to get a copyright. You used to, but not anymore. (But you do need a registration if you want to sue someone for copyright infringement).
You don’t have to mark your work as copyrighted, either. (That used to be required, too.) But marking a work as copyrighted gives people notice that someone owns the legal rights, so most copyright owners do put notices on their works."