If you are negotiating for a license to use someone else's work, there may be a fee.
In most countries copyright is free, instantaneous and automatic.
Nearly all of it. Shareware and Freeware would be exceptions.
A person who infringes copyright can be sued by the copyright owner and taken to court. A court can order a number of things such as, the infringer must pay compensation and pay the copyrights owners costs. In some cases the infringer can be charged by the police and can be ordered to pay a fine as little as $200 or as much as $150 000, or in serious cases the infringer can be jailed.
Thus, material must be original and published in a concrete medium of expression to be covered by a copyright. In other words, for material to be eligible for copyright protection, a tangible product must exist
Contact the copyright holder and request permission.
You cannot download Avenue Q. It is protected by copyright and you must purchase it and pay royalties to perform it. You can purchase it from it's publisher, Samuel French.
copyright library
One must apply to the copyright holder for permisson to use their copyrighted item.
Given current copyright law, it's merely a courtesy; notification is not required for protection.
If it is no longer protected because the copyright has expired or been voluntarily terminated by the author it is said to reside in the public domain. In terms of software that is written intentionally without copyright protection it is referred to as "open-source"
For photographs, in most cases, you cant - you must assume that the image carries a copyright. Learn more at www.USPTO.gov
No; protection is automatic as soon as a work of sufficient originality is fixed in a tangible medium.