Copyright infringement is a hot topic, with the recent scandal over 'The DaVinci Code' supposedly being a ripoff of 'Holy Blood, Holy Grail', we are all aware these problems are ever-present in our world. Writers want to protect themselves from someone stealing their ideas and work. I, for example, try to be very careful. As some of my readers know, I am a bit paranoid about my postings on this blog, and I admit to being wary of (as I call them) "Idea Theives".

What most people DON'T know, is that your work is copyrighted the moment you write it down, no matter what it is. However, most people think you have to pay the $30 fee to the Copyright office to get it. It is true that paying that fee will enforce the copyright, but do you really need it? Under certain circumstances, it might not be a terrible idea, but generally... I think not. If you have people who know you wrote it during a specific time, then if it was ever called into question, you would have witnesses attesting that you wrote it before anyone else.

Let me explain it the way my uncle, a lawyer, explained it to me:

You can write something down (as I have already said) as it is automatically copyrighted. For example, say I wrote down: "Four score and seven years ago" on a page. It is copyrighted. But that doesn't mean I was the first one to write that, and have it copyrighted. There are a million people who can prove that Abraham Lincoln wrote it before me, so HIS copyright comes into light.

What I have been wondering lately... I've been doing a great deal of research for mediums in which to get published, mostly litereary journals and a contest. They all buy different kinds of rights. For Example, The Deepening online literary zine takes Exclusive Web Rights (which means they are the ONLY ones to have this story on the internet, not even my own blog can have it up. BUT Anything NOT on the web can publish it if I want to send it out.) Fresh Boiled Peanuts takes "One-Time rights" and another magazine takes "First North American Serial Rights"...

Huh?

The different kinds of Use Rights confused me; I don't want to give away too many rights to a story or poem, and I dont want to be mistaken and accidentally break the contract. I did a little digging on the internet. Read, learn, and enjoy!

http://www.writing-world.com/rights/copyright.shtml

Love, Sariya D.

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