What About Copyright?

Notes from the US Copyright Office

"Copyrights protect your Work like a patent but they are cheaper and much easier to secure. The copyright protects your text, photographs, drawings, maps, everything in the book except the title.

Once you write a manuscript, called "creating a Work," you are automatically protected by copyright. If you send it to the Copyright Office with Form TX and $30, you are registering your copyright and you get some additional benefits. It is not necessary to register your copyright to be protected but it is recommended and most people do.

To register your copyright, follow these three steps:

  1. Print the copyright notice on the copyright page (title page verso). The notice takes the following form: " © 2004 by Robert Howard."
  2. Publish the book.
  3. Register your claim with the Copyright Office on Form TX and $30.

The new copyright term is for the author's life plus fifty years. Your ownership of the book is now a valuable part of your estate, so be certain your copyrighted material is mentioned in your will."

Read more at the US Copyright Office website >>