Thread: copyright

1. How can I copyright my pic a part of the design of my website??dontwant anyone to steal them.the pic are paintings i has done.
2. i often visit dollmaker doing dolls by others props and they are "copyrighted" or linkware...but the work i has done is it their copyright too??
3. i do dolls by pixel others bases and they are copyrighted mostly but the finsihed work is it their copyright too??i must link to them.???

1) Copyright is automatically yours, it isnt something that you need to apply for or pay for. But, you do have to be able to prove its yours should it be required. For example if somebody uses the pic to make profit and you want to take them to court. Make sure you add a 'copyright notice" at the foot of every page.

2) Your intellectual property is yours even when you authorise somebody to use it. This will not stand up in court unless written documentation can be proved. For example, if they do not sign anythign they can easily say the item is their property. you will then have to prove that it isnt.

3) Links are not important but will often get you out of trouble if you are using material owend by other people

If what you do can be put down on paper, I would suggest placing your work in an envelope and mail it to yourself registered mail. Do not open it. Save it for proof of property.

Not sure if this is the case in Sweden.

Tom

Tom's Idea is a good one and will work no problems in any court in the UK (and USA apparantly). As he also hinted though, you will have to investigate the legal process in Sweden to be sure.

Just make sure that you do not open the envelope when it comes back through the post to you. If you do have to prove you copyright DO NOT open the envelope unless you are with an official witness such as a lawyer

Originally Posted by FPRob

1) Copyright is automatically yours, it isnt something that you need to apply for or pay for. But, you do have to be able to prove its yours should it be required. For example if somebody uses the pic to make profit and you want to take them to court. Make sure you add a 'copyright notice" at the foot of every page.

2) Your intellectual property is yours even when you authorise somebody to use it. This will not stand up in court unless written documentation can be proved. For example, if they do not sign anythign they can easily say the item is their property. you will then have to prove that it isnt.

3) Links are not important but will often get you out of trouble if you are using material owend by other people

Just some added comment:
1. Simply stating Copyright isn't enough, as mentioned earlier, it can come down to your word against theirs as to who was first: In many cases, precedence was established by first composing your website content in Word (or something else) to your hard drive, for it will always "date-stamp" when the file was created. Addintionally, if you re-name your images (a good practice, especially when developing webpage continuity and relevance for SEO), this date-stamp/file creation will also be made.

2. Intellectual Property MUST be established to be defensible: it can sometimes be done in the manner similarly as above, but is more clearly made if well documented and "archived" and in this area, it is best to merely post to your attorney to file, not to yourself. In the old days in the US, sending a letter across state lines used to demonstrate a "Trademarking", but nowadays, branding, trademarking, and intellectual rights are spearate processes. *The key is to describe Intellectual Properties in significant detail while remaining broad enough to encompass more of a general concept, which thus "inherits" subsequent development...

3. And, like footnotes, links can acknowledge proprietary rights of others, but need not be completely published prominently on your site: you can offer a "symbol" that is referenced at the page bottom, which links to an interior page for full disclosure. For example: " *Info " at the bottom of the page, and the asterik on/at the image, could link to a page where you list your 'Bibliography' for lack of a better term.

Doing your "due diligence" is always the first thing examined in cases of dispute, and is the easiest to determine. Either you make the proper efforts (which show) or you forsake the recourse available in instances of negligence.

(All this from experience!)