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Can you copyright something you did not write?

Updated: 8/16/2019
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16y ago

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Yes, but only if it has been contractually assigned to you or you inherited it. According to the U.S. Copyright Office: Copyright protection subsists from the time the work is created in fixed form. The copyright in the work of authorship immediately becomes the property of the author who created the work. Only the author or those deriving their rights through the author can rightfully claim copyright. In the case of works made for hire, the employer and not the employee is considered to be the author. Section 101 of the copyright law defines a "work made for hire" as: (1) a work prepared by an employee within the scope of his or her employment; or (2) a work specially ordered or commissioned for use as: * a contribution to a collective work * a part of a motion picture or other audiovisual work * a translation * a supplementary work * a compilation * an instructional text * a test * answer material for a test * an atlas and only if the parties expressly agree in a written instrument signed by them that the work shall be considered a work made for hire. The authors of a joint work are co-owners of the copyright in the work, unless there is an agreement to the contrary. Note that independently contracted works OUTSIDE of the listed commissions above are NOT "works made for hire", even if the parties call it that, and the author/artist/photographer (not the patron) is the copyright owner (or at least a joint owner, if the patron contributed creative materials to the work). Therefore, the patron must receive a written transfer (assignment) of the copyright in order to register the copyright. Copyright in each separate contribution to a periodical or other collective work is distinct from copyright in the collective work as a whole and vests initially with the author of the contribution. Two General Principles: * Mere ownership of a book, manuscript, painting, or any other copy or phonorecord does not give the possessor the copyright. The law provides that transfer of ownership of any material object that embodies a protected work does not of itself convey any rights in the copyright. : However, ownership of a copy may give the owner the right to sell, display, or perform his copy, under specific circumstances, depending upon the medium in which the copy is embodied. * Minors may claim copyright, but state laws may regulate the business dealings involving copyrights owned by minors. For information on relevant state laws, consult an attorney.

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Q: Can you copyright something you did not write?
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How can you get copyrighted?

You need to write something original and then publish it, applying the copyright mark, the date and your name. Copyright protection is automatic.


Is re wording something a copyright?

No, copying and pasting is copyright though.


Can there be joint ownership of a copyright?

Yes; if you write a book and I illustrate it, we can be co-owners of the copyright.


How do you get something copywrited?

Typically you would write it yourself or hire a copywriter.If, on the other hand, you want to copyright something, no action is required: it's automatically protected as soon as it's fixed.


How do you get your story told and made into a lifetime movie?

You have to write a script or book and then copyright it and sell it to them, if you don't copyright it and still send it to them, they can steal legally and copyright it themselves. If you want any money from it you have to write it and copyright it, then contact Lifetime afterwards to see if they are interested.


Is it okay to use a name of a college in a book you intend to publish Would it be under copyright?

If the name of a college were under copyright that means that you could not open your own college and use the same name. There is already a Harvard University, you cannot open another Harvard University. But you can certainly write a book about Harvard University, if you so desire. Copyright doesn't mean you can't write about something.


Can a person be punished for removing a copyright from something and replacing it with his own notice of copyright?

Yes.


What does copyright work?

It means that if you copy something copyright and don't give it its props (or credit) you will be sued


What is the legal protection of ownership to those who write songs?

copyright


Do you have to get permission to write a book about a certain town or city?

No you do not. Cities and towns are not copyright, and you are free to write about them.


Does copyright mean that you can or cannot copy something?

It depends on whether you have the right or not. If you control the copyright to something (i.e., you drew/painted/wrote it), you have the exclusive right to copy it or authorize others to do so. If you do not control the copyright, you need an exemption in the law or permission from the copyright holder.


Should a work be registered in order for it to be copyrighted?

No, it should not. If you wrote something, you own the copyright on it. All you need in order to assert that copyright is proof that you wrote something.