Website copyrighting – necessity or formality?

As stated by the Copyright Law, when a piece of work is created, it automatically gets protection against infringement of copyright. It is still a good idea to acquire copyright registration to assert the owner’s authority. Also if need arises, such as in case of copyright infringement, there is no better proof than a registration. Keeping track of dates and names can be a further evidence to any such allegations.

Like any other form of creation as literature, music, drama, painting or a design, creating a website also needs protection rights. When starting a website, place a copyright notice on the site to assert your ownership. As its creation and completion may take some time, especially when designed without professional graphic designers, copyright will discourage any alleged copies of the work in progress. Also records of any changes or revisions must be present with dates and official stamps so as to have a clear record of all your projects.

“Poor man’s copy” is a technique authors use to keep records. They post a copy of all their work step by step to themselves so they have exact dates and content for reproduction at any time to prove authority. Detailed projects require time and many copies are made and destroyed before satisfaction, each of this draft must be saved for record with dates.

The authenticity of the “poor man’s copy” has been doubted several times therefore, a better option is to register your works with the USPTO or another third party as a Solicitor, a Notary or an Escrow Service. The USPTO can be very expensive sometimes but it is the most authentic of all sources and services. The US copyright office brings to public record immediately any new copyrights issued. This ensures your ownership recognition on record.

Any work in tangible form is copyrightable whether it be yours or anyone else’s. When you read from some other website or text or take inspiration, you should consult a copyright lawyer so you are not charged by anyone for infringement of copyright. no matter how much you change the text and style of a copied work, it can never become your creation. In such case, it is best to ask the owner concerned so you cannot be charged for plagiarism. Sometimes a work is copied unintentionally; this is where you must consult a copyright lawyer.

As legal protection can be very expensive, there are other cheaper means of protection that you can apply to your website to avoid copyright violation. Security programs as “ tinyeye.com “ can else immensely keep a track of your pictures, text or any other element illegally reproduced.

As your website is your business and all the hard work, you deserve every bit of protection for it against plagiarism.