Must a copyright be regestered

Answer 1

Not necessarily, under the laws of more than 160 countries, no registration (or other legal formalities) are required to obtain copyright protection. Once the creative work of expression is recorded in a tangible form, it is automatically protected and can be licensed, transferred, and in many cases enforced in court. In some countries, such as the USA, a copyright owner must register the copyright in order to sue in federal court, as copyright registration is required as administrative proof of ownership.

As an incentive to early registration, the US law also offers registrants "statutory damages" of up to $150,000 for infringement of a registered work, regardless of any actual market damage to the author or profits of the infringer.

It is also no longer a requirement (as it was prior to 1963) to publish works with a proper copyright NOTICE in order to obtain copyright protection. Again, the law offers certain incentives to those who choose to use the copyright notice on their works. It is also a federal crime to modify or remove an existing copyright notice with intent to defraud.

Answer 2

No. If you have written something and want to copyright it - just put the copyright symbol © and your name & the date. Like --> © John Brown 2008 <-- You can also mail a copy of the item to yourself. It will have a postmark. Don't open it. Just put it away in case you need to prove ownership. Here's how to make the symbol -> You use the number keypad on your computer. That's on the right hand side of your computer. Hold down the "Alt" key while you press each number -> 0 1 6 9 <-- now let go of the Alt key and the symbol will be there.

Answer 3

No. Copyright exists from the moment the work is created and registration is voluntary. You will have to register, however, if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work.

(see link below for further information)

Answer 4

No; neither registration nor notification is required for protection.

If formal registration is available in your country, you may choose to do so in order to make it easier for potential users to identify and contact you.

Answer 5

In countries that are members of the World Trade Organization, copyright protection is automatic as soon as the work is fixed in a tangible medium. In some countries, the government or private companies offer formal registration which can make it easier to prove ownership and in some cases allows different types of remuneration, but this is not required.

Answer 6

In any country that follows the Berne Convention on copyrights, registration is not a requirement for ownership of a copyright.

However, in the USA, registration is required if you want to enforce the copyright in federal courts.

Answer 7

Neither registration nor notification is required for protection.

Answer 8

No; in all signatories to the Berne Convention, works of sufficient creativity are protected as soon as they are fixed in a tangible medium.