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The U.S. Copyright Office web site has extensive information. Consider that this WEB site is not
intended as a substitute for legal advice. |
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How does an Internet / online notary provide copyright protection? |
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| Under the Copyright Law, all works are automatically protected from the
moment they are created. By using an Internet / online notary, you digitally
time stamp your creative work with your name attached. Then you can prove
you are the owner should there ever be any question. What's important is
the ability to prove that you originated the work. The digital time stamp
is a tool that provides proof for the creator. |
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Does the digital time stamp prove ownership of my work? |
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| "Ownership" involves binding a person's identity and their content
into the digital timestamp. A time stamp proves that your creative work
existed at a point-in-time. We recommend the creator include their name
in/on their work so that it is time stamped with your work. Consider if
someone steals the music or art and the timestamp, by possession of these
two things, does the thief prove it is theirs?
Add to your work the text: "Copyright 2011 your name - All Rights Reserved". Or minimally: "©2011 your name". If your work is an audio recording then verbalize that text at
the end of the recording. Users have written to us that there are free
tools to merge MP3 files so you could add your name to an existing
MP3 file. |
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How often do I need to time stamp a file that I'm working on? |
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| As often as you create, you time stamp your work. A creative work may undergo
many revisions. Each time you feel your work has been significantly enhanced,
you make a copy to a unique name. Then, digitally timestamp the file and
it will be saved in its current status (no more changes to that copy).
But, at a minimum, use a digital timestamp before you publish or send your
work out to anyone. |
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Do I need to send you my work or do you keep a copy of it? |
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| No, we do not need to see your work; you keep a copy of it and the digital
time stamp. You retain complete confidentiality. Only the file's digital
fingerprint is sent over the Internet. From the fingerprint, it is not
possible to discover the contents of your file. More details here. |
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Can you give an example of using a time stamp to protect against copyright infringement? |
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| To demonstrate a possible scenario: A graphic artist creates 50 "candidate
logos" in a week. All the logos are saved in a single computer file
and that file is time stamped. Next, the artist shows those 50 logos to
a potential client at a meeting. The client does not purchase any of the
work. Six months later, one of those logos appears on the client's web
site without the author's permission. At this time, the author submits
the government registration copies and $20 to register the copyright for
the infringed logo. The artist can use the digital timestamp to prove that
he had created this logo months before. The infringement case is easier
to prove. |
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Isn't my work protected under the Copyright Law? |
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Yes, but how do you prove it’s yours and when you created it? A digital
timestamp will give you unequivocal proof that the contents of your data
file existed at that point-in-time. By also including your identity in
the data file, you can prove you are the owner of the work.
The U.S. Copyright Law regulates the protection of authors, artists, musicians,
photographers, and other creative people. According to the Law, the creator
is the owner of the work.
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How long does a copyright last? |
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This protection remains throughout the creator's life plus 70 years. More information here. |
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Do I need to apply for a copyright from the government? |
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No, a digital timestamp of your work serves as proof of your copyright.
In the U.S., your work is automatically protected by copyright law from
the moment of its creation. It is important to note that this protection
is given without obtaining a registered copyright. Official registration
may be made at any time within the life of the copyright.
An official copyright registration (submit 2 copies of your work and $35
fee) is required if you need to bring a lawsuit for infringement in the
U.S.
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Is my copyright accepted throughout the world? |
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Protection against unauthorized use in a particular country depends on the national laws of that country. However, most countries offer protection to foreign works under certain conditions that have been greatly simplified by international copyright treaties and conventions. See more information here. |
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