Copyrighting

What is enough?

[twist]

After just reading another thread, someone suggested that you should get a professional copyright person to look over your website. What exactly do they do?

I have a regular website, nothing spectacular, mostly just information, photos, and similiar things. I have the usual copyright notice at the bottom of every page and I add a copyright reference onto my photos. What more do I really need to do? I don't have any gimmick quotes or information that isn't already somewhat public knowledge.

If I paid a professional copyrighter to look over my site what exactly would they be doing?

Do I need to copyright the name of my site? If I get a business license using that name does it automatically copyright the name for me?

[dickbaker]

Twist, if you put a copyright on any page of your site, that means that others can't use the contents--text, images, design, etc--that's on your site that was created by you.

It's not necessary for you to do anything further.

However, if someone does rip something off your site, and all you've done is just say it's copyrighted, you're not going to get much if anything in a lawsuit.

If you want to vigorously protect what you have, get the forms from the US Copyright office. Every month or two, burn what you've recently created onto a CD and submit it with the form. The cost, if I recall correctly, is $35.

Then, if someone rips you off, you can sue for all sorts of damages, including punitive.

To be honest, over the 26 years I've been creating copyrighted stuff, I never submitted any forms. Why pay a lawyer when you can just smack the copyright infringer upside the head? Saves money, same satisfaction. ;)