copyright question

[phpnewb]

to say copyright 2007 by so and so do u need to have a registered copyright or can you just put it on your site and have the date you published it. Also what if I do not hold a copyright to some of the content i.e. pictures, etc. Can I still place a copyright on the site?


By the way, I know that once I publish something I have the rights to it, but I am interested in whether or not I can say I do.

[felgall]

It depends on what country you are in. Many countries automatically give copyright protection to the author without any registration ever being required while other countries require that you register a coyright before being able to take action against thieves (but that soesn't mean your work isn't copyrighted just that the courts in that country require that it be registered as proof of ownership while other countries will accept other proofs). I am not aware of any country that requires that you register something in order to gain ownership of the copyright in the first place, usually the act of writing it does that.

[phpnewb]

united states

[phpnewb]

united states
My question is do I need to register a copyright to say something like this
"Copyright ©2007, by someone. " or can I say something like it by just creating the work. I know that I have ownership of the work or can I say something like this.

I am not trying to bump my thread. I accidently created a new post.

[ScorpionWAsM]

Hope that this link helps explain more

http://www.copyright.gov/

Personally I think that putting Copyright is a waste of time if you havent fully copyrighted the website properly.

Copyright is just a fancy looking wordage at the bottom of a website, it just looks good for punters.

In some respects, if someone did want to copy your website 100% if you honestly cant afford to copyright your website in the first place, then chances are then you will not be able too afford a lawyer too sue them.

Techically you can copyright ideas, and designs but normally 99% of the time people will take your design and tweak it and add bits and bobs, so really it's reasonably a waste of time anyway.

Regards

Mark

[phpnewb]

Thank you just kind of wanted to put it to take up some space at the bottom of my pages.

[phpnewb]

Where would I put a statement like If you see anything that you believe has infringed upon one of your copyrights or another's please contact me and I will remove it. Would this go under a disclaimer or terms of use what?

[Vapor]

As a published author (http://www.amazon.com/Why-Christ-Eternal-Different-Everything/dp/0977492885/sr=8-1/qid=1168012078/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-4064915-0372403?ie=UTF8&s=books), I think I have an answer for you. In the United States, as soon as you create any piece of work you hold the copyright to it. The reason that you would want to submit and pay for copyright with the library of congress is in the even of going to court you have 100% proof that the work is yours. I felt the need to submit my work to the library of congress. The downfall with that is the library of congress is slow, and I'm talking 6-8 months slow, plus a $30 which isn't too bad depending on how bad you want your copyright.
I was told that if you finish a piece of work print it all out with your copyright 2007 or whatever on it, put it in one of those big yellow envelopes and mail it to your self but keep it sealed. The date/time stamp that the post office puts on your sealed (key this is to keep it sealed) copy is enough proof to defend your work. At least that's what I have heard.
Good luck with your site!

Vapor,

Author of Why Christ (http://www.amazon.com/Why-Christ-Eternal-Different-Everything/dp/0977492885/sr=8-1/qid=1168012078/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-4064915-0372403?ie=UTF8&s=books)?

[tracknut]

Also what if I do not hold a copyright to some of the content i.e. pictures, etc.


You should make every effort to ensure that you are not violating someone's copyright. Putting up a statement like "if you see anything in violation of copyright...." is tantamount to saying "if I've done anything illegal, just let me know, and I'll stop". Not really a good message, as it implies that you know you've done something illegal and your perception is that unless you get caught, you're going to keep doing it.

So do your best, and for everything else just make sure you give folks a way to contact you.

Dave

[Vapor]

If you post a picture from another site just put-

Source:www.whatever.....com

Just thought I'd through that in.:thumbsup:

[tracknut]

If you post a picture from another site just put-

Source:www.whatever.....com

Just thought I'd through that in.:thumbsup:

That's still a copyright violation unless you have approval from the owner. It would be equivalent to me putting your entire book on my site, and just listing you as the source.

Dave

[felgall]

There are some copyright protection companies that you can take your copyright content to and they will place it in a special envelope that they seal up and place their special stamp across the seal. You then mail it to yourself via registered mail in order to get a record of it having gone through the post office on the particular date. Then you put it in a safe place and don't open it unless you are required to in a court of law. Because the envelope was sent registered mail you have prove of ownership of the envelope at that date and the copyright company can confirm that they checked that you actually owned the copyright on the content before that date.

[ScorpionWAsM]

Right here goes.........

Vapor lol sorry I had too laugh, went too visit your link, I think that your title is longer than the pages in your book lol

Bit puzzled though how many books have been written about a fictious person? Are you not breaking copyright laws because I think there might have been books written about Christ before.

Also your point of view might copy someone elses who has written a book before you, but you have written it in a different context.

So you cannot copyright 100% especially in something that is in the public domain.

The only thing that you would have been copyrighting is the title of your book, which probaly explains why it took so long lol and the actual text word for word.

So if you wrote something and someone copied you word for word, then yes too a degree then copyright would be in breach.

How many movies are there or computer games that are similar? Look at Doom the computer game, even though Castle Wolfenstein was first by ID Software, how many games shot up e.g first person shooters using near enough the samen format suddenly crop up?

Id Software had a games idea, they created and then it was copied and although they probaly copyrighted the game in its whole, there was mothing they could do about copycats take the game and changing it and making it their own.
=========================================================

Tracknut

For images if say for example I create a logo and mirror it but change it's colors. say for example the Mac D's arches then that would be breaking copyright.

Using an image without the owners permission isnt really a big deal unless it is totally breaking certain codes.

A friend of mine had a bottle of a well known drink on a website, the website was promoting pubs and niteclubs but in a ladish manner rather than drink our beer it's lovely kind of way.

Now if someone from this beer company saw the website, they would have thought, well thats publicity for us, so were happy. Sadly for the guy that runs the website, it got posted on a publican/bar keepers discussion board and people started complaining about binge drinking and how it made them look bad.

They got in contact with the company who make the beer and as such he was forced too remove the images from his website. The company said blah blah blah we never knew about it, bad boy please remove it.

If say for example a member of the public had phoned up a company and said here this website has got your logo on your website but its promoting drinking in a bad way, then you would get a reply back saying thanks but go away, sadly this complaint was from owners of pubs so they had clout with the brewery.

You are right regarding copying his book and regarding him as the source, if someone did copy extracts from your book though on a website then why be foolish about not letting him, unless he was claiming too be the author or indeed in some respects not giving you recognition for your work.
=========================================================

Felgall

Not sure what the law is regarding these companies are in the States, but in the UK it was widely believed that once you put something in an envelope that it gave you copyright.

There was something on TV a few nights ago that reasonably said that no this isnt the case anymore.

Simply because if you know someone from the post office or to a degree you could make up a stamp and forge the date and markings.

Chances are these companies that promote copyright actually dont really know what they are doing apart from conning people. Chances are the lawyers that they use would be ones that couldnt get into Harvard and qualified as a lawyer online, so would be careful about these companies.
=====================================================

Summing up you can really only copyright something that is so unique that it cannot possibly be copied or imitated, a copyright really only protects movies against people pirating the movie and selling it as they own the film.

So for websites just shove a @ Copyright Website Owner 200* - 200*

[phpnewb]

I don't think this off-topic, but do I need permission to link to other sites. On my site I think I am going to have news, can I summarize an article and provide a link to the article. Is there anything wrong with this?

[ScorpionWAsM]

I hope that it doesnt take you as long too decide when to have sex as it's doing taking you too decide on building this website otherwise your be the 40 year old Virgin lol.

Linking to other websites is 99% fine and dandy theres only sometimes that other websites might get annoyed and ask you to remove.

If say for example you created a website that says how much you hate well take this example PayPal e.g www.paypalsucks.com the website was taken too court because of copyright etc etc.

Sucks won and is still operational today.

Just put copyright @2007 use links the only thing that will happen if they dont like your website or you linking too them, is that there send you an email to say please remove it.

Regards

Mark

[felgall]

With a disinterested third party prepared to go to court to acknowledge your copyright and records from the post office of REGISTERED mail you have as much proof of your copyright as you can get unless you live in a country that allows you to register your copyright with a Government agency and which probably charges you for it.

[Vapor]

Ok, couple things here.
Origionally Posted by Scorpionwasm:
Bit puzzled though how many books have been written about a fictious person? Are you not breaking copyright laws because I think there might have been books written about Christ before.


Fictious? I encourage you to read my book... Seriously, I think that you will find that Christ is more real than you think.

Second of all, you are not in violation of copyright if I take an image or quote from something else and put "source:" and then where I got it from. If I am wrong, please show me some conformation so that I am aware of this.

[ScorpionWAsM]

Ok, couple things here.


Fictious? I encourage you to read my book... Seriously, I think that you will find that Christ is more real than you think.


Thanks but I'll stick to Penthouse, at least I can look at the pictures.

[Vapor]

Sad...Very sad.

[whizard]

Right here goes.........

Vapor lol sorry I had too laugh, went too visit your link, I think that your title is longer than the pages in your book lol

Bit puzzled though how many books have been written about a fictious person? Are you not breaking copyright laws because I think there might have been books written about Christ before.

Also your point of view might copy someone elses who has written a book before you, but you have written it in a different context.

So you cannot copyright 100% especially in something that is in the public domain.

The only thing that you would have been copyrighting is the title of your book, which probaly explains why it took so long lol and the actual text word for word.


Uncalled for and off-topic. AKA a flame.

I hope that it doesnt take you as long too decide when to have sex as it's doing taking you too decide on building this website otherwise your be the 40 year old Virgin lol.
[...]
Thanks but I'll stick to Penthouse, at least I can look at the pictures.

Inappropriate material for these forums.

Those posts violated at least rules 1.1, 1.6 and 1.7, which you agreed to abide by when you joined.

Codingforums is a wonderful community. Let's keep it that way.
Dan

[Vapor]

Well Said.

[tracknut]

Second of all, you are not in violation of copyright if I take an image or quote from something else and put "source:" and then where I got it from. If I am wrong, please show me some conformation so that I am aware of this.

A quick google turned up a basic copyright definition here (http://photography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ/Ya&sdn=photography&cdn=hobbies&tm=20&f=00&tt=14&bt=0&bts=0&zu=http%3A//www.clari.net/brad/copymyths.html)

Here's a paragraph from that article (and I think I'm okay quoting it)

Making copies
In its simplest form making copies is making copies. Computers have added some recent complications, like the temporary copies in packet buffers or on screens, and copies left on backup tape. But you can go pretty far by assuming that just about any computerized operation on a work involves copying it.

And simply, the copyright holder gets to say if you can do this. But that's where it all gets modified by the issues of ...

Dave

[Donkey]

So for websites just shove a @ Copyright Website Owner 200* - 200*This is a common misconception you do not need to put in a second date just the year in which the site was first published. The second year is meaningless.

The correct format is © websiteowner 2007

This subject came up on another forum and none of the American members believed me so I had it confirmed by the Library of Congress.

The other point is that this is just a claim of copyright it doesn't give you any protection. You still need to be able to prove copyright if it comes down to a legal wrangle. Registration is one way but AFAIK the old trick of mailing a copy to yourself is still valid if the envelope is registered and sealed with a wax seal.

[ScorpionWAsM]

Having two dates is purely for display purposes really, I would rather have Copyright 2003 - 2007 simply because too me it shows someone that my website has been open four years.

Without actually owning the copyright of something it's just a fancy thing too stick at the bottom which looks a bit more professional for some websites.

[Donkey]

I find it more straight forward to use an automatic last modified date on every page, I just put this in the footer.
© 2004 SiteOwner. Last modified
<!--#config timefmt="%d-%b-%Y" --><!--#flastmod file="index.shtml" -->

[Vapor]

ScorpionWasM:
Having two dates is purely for display purposes really, I would rather have Copyright 2003 - 2007 simply because too me it shows someone that my website has been open four years.

If you just put the year that it was copyrighted, it still shows that your website have been open for 4 years.
Thus, the second date is still meaningless.

[ScorpionWAsM]

The majority of sufers dont know or care about copyright anyway.

Only thing that most people know about is SSL encryption and the padlock, if a customer or a net surfer comes too a website that I own, I'm not really worried if they see a copyright notice.

My sites are not copyrighted legally anyway, it's just a preference and a standard practise to put copyright at the bottom.

It's mainly net developers that the copyright will scare off more if at all possible that it scares them off at all.

Copyright on an amateur level is overkill but it just looks good, the whole point of this persons thread was that he was asking about copyright, but not actually wanting to legally copy protect his website.

Everyone has their own views of what they prefer.

If you pick up most modern packages nowadays they never have copyright only a registered trademark, copyright only really applies too the people that can fight copyright.

If you look at the recent case of Dan Browns the Da Vinci code and someone elses book because it was near enough the same material that was in the public domain e.g Christ (snooze) there was a court case regarding the books in question, but it was thrown out because anyone could rearrange the words and form a new book.

So a lot of domains or website ideas etc etc are not really copyrighted as you can just twist and bend ideas to form your own.

Enough said now, this thread has become too samey.

[Donkey]

If you pick up most modern packages nowadays they never have copyright only a registered trademark, copyright only really applies too the people that can fight copyright.? Whilst I agree with much of what you say I must point out that Copyright and Trademarks are two different things. You can't trademark a website.

[phpnewb]

Thank you, I think I have gotten a sufficient amount of answers.