Copyright Law

One of the goals of copyright law is to encourage creativity by allowing creators a chance at ascribing value to their imagination and hard work.

For the user, this encouragement of creativity gives us more choices: because it is possible to make a living as a photographer, there are more photographers to choose from.

Yes, they do.

If you're asking what those laws are called, it's usually one of copyright, patent, or trademark.

You don't need to do anything special for copyright protection to exist.

Copyright protection is automatic, as soon as a work of sufficient originality is "fixed in a tangible medium, perceptible to human eye, machine reader or other device". There is no requirement to register a copyright or to display a copyright notice for a work to be protected.

However if you want or need the additional protection a formally registered copyright can provide, contact the copyright office in your country for the proper procedure and applicable fees.

You should assume that it is, until you can prove that it is not. More importantly, the trademarks must also be considered.

The owners of "Monopoly" have taken trademark infringement cases to the U.S. Supreme Court, and Congress has modified the law in response.

There is a lengthy history of "Monopoly" and its predecessors in the linked article in wikipedia, including references to the original patents in 1904, 1924 and 1935.

You should always look for the copyright information. If there is none then you need to contact the author or owner of the material and ask them. Never assume. Most of the time though you'll see the license. It could be public domain, creative commons, copyright free, or copyrighted, etc, etc. Check the links below for copyright free resources.

You would cite the date by reproducing the copyright notice.

In the United States, a copyright notice consists of three elements::

1. the © symbol (in some cases (c) is substituted), the word "Copyright" or abbreviation "Copr.";

2. the first year of publication; and

3. the owner of the copyright, either by name, abbreviation, or other designation.

A practical example would be... © 2009 EndTrans Netwide Productions Inc.

I don't know... That's why I went to this site...

Copyright law automatically gives the author the exclusive right to copy, alter, distribute, or perform/display his or her own work. If formal registration is available in your country, that's always an option, but it is not required for protection.

In the United States, anyone found to have infringed a copyrighted work may be liable for statutory damages up to $30,000 for each work infringed and, if willful infringement is proven by the copyright owner, that amount may be increased up to $150,000 for each work infringed. In addition, an infringer of a work may also be liable for the attorney's fees incurred by the copyright owner to enforce his or her rights

The short answer is, you ask the copyright holder.

The long answer is, it depends on the type of work, and your proposed use. For some uses, you can get a blanket license from a royalty collecting society that will cover thousands of works for a given period of time. For others, you will need to negotiate directly with the rightsholder for a license, which will be very specific to your use.

The only way for someone to claim copyright in a family crest is if that person created the crest, or substantially modified it, or is the heir of someone who did that and who died less than 75 years ago.

Crests and other symbols may be protected in some countries by their laws protecting Heraldic symbols, but that is not copyright.

"Fair use" applies to anyone who wishes to use copyrighted material for purposes of criticism, review, news reporting, or scholarship & does not want, for whatever reason, to seek permission from the copyright holder.

That would be a derivative work, which requires a license from the rightsholder of the original work.

A copyright year in a book (usually in the first few pages right next to a c with a circle around it shows the date of publication. Hope this helps. It's the first question Ive tried to answer :)

No. You hold a copyright for anything that you have created. You do not have to register to have a copyright on material. You must properly mark the item with the copyright symbol or the words Copyright, the name of the copyright holder and the year it went into effect.

This sounds accurate. Especially though as laws change the copyright aspect may change. It really helps to go to a legal forum that will better answer is it illegal to questions. This one may help http://www.isitlegalto.com and you may ask other is it illegal to questions. Hope this helps!

In Great Britain copyright in literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works expires 70 years after the death of the author. Where the work has more than one author, the copyright expires 70 years after the death of the last surviving author.

The publisher's copyright for the typographical arrangement of a published work is 25 years from the end of the year in which that publication occurred. This protects a publisher's copyright in all types printed works including books, magazines, newspapers, and any other periodicals. this is commonly applied to recordings and video as well.

Intellectual property protection is critical to fostering innovation. Without protection of ideas, businesses would not reap the full benefits of their inventions and would focus less on research and development. Similarly, artists would not be fully compensated for their creations and cultural vitality would suffer as a result.

The first copyright law came into effect in 1710. Materials are protected by copyright for the life of creator plus 50 years in most countries; the US and some others have extended this to 70 years. Corporate works are protected for 95 years after publication.

u can try rewarding them

Software is considered a "literary work" and protected by copyright. Some countries have specific laws about how software may be used within copyright laws, such as 17 USC § 117 in the USA, which allows owners of a lawful copy to make one backup copy for archival purposes. Also, § 109 prohibits rental or lease of copies of software without a license.

There are state and Federal laws that apply to hacking. The prevalent Federal law is 18 U.S.C. 1030. Fraud and Related Activity in Connection with Computers. It's too long to post here, but you can find it on the Department of Justice website at http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/1030_new.html

Justin Petersen

Titles are an exception to copyright. Music, books and movies are able to use titles that have already been used.

Written work is automatically protected by copyright as soon as it is fixed in a tangible medium. That means as soon as it's written down on paper, typed into a computer, or uploaded to a message board.

There is a common misconception that you can "Copyright the material". According to the the federal regulations: "The following are examples of works not subject to copyright ...: Words and short phrases such as names, titles, and slogans; familiar symbols or designs; mere variations of typographic ornamentation, lettering or coloring; mere listing of ingredients or contents;" 37 CFR 202.1 However, you can get "trademark" protection merely by using sufficiently distinctive words or phrases as a "brand" in association with your goods or services. The more distinctive, the stronger the protection. You may also seek to register the words in a state or in the federal Trademark Office so that others will be aware of your property rights in the mark, when used in association with the type of goods recorded in your registration application, even if you haven't yet begun to ship the product. You may use your trademark rights to prevent others from selling or importing goods that are likely to be confused as coming from your company because they use similar words as a brand name. See related questions that further describe the scope of your trademark rights and how to register, etc.

If a work has been copied, altered, distributed, or performed/displayed without permission from the copyright holder or an exemption in the law, that copyright holder's rights have been infringed upon.

Deciding whether a work is infringing is not always straightforward, just as it's not always easy to tell a counterfeit from the real thing. In cases where musicians have been taken to court for copying another's song, both sides will call in expert witnesses with specific examples and comparisons.