Changes In Copyright Law

In the past, the law required people to use the copyright symbol on their work to indicate this status. (This is done with the symbol © (the letter C in a circle), or the word “Copyright.”) In addition, the date of the work and the author was included. (Such as: © 2000 Jerry Jones). Changes to the law in 1989 eliminated this requirement. However, some legal experts recommend that people do this anyway, since it lets others know that the work is protected and tells who the owner is and when he or she created the item in question. You do not need permission from the Copyright Office to include this information on your creation and it does not cost anything to do this. Anyone can use this copyright information on their own work.

It is also important to note that while literary and other fixed pieces of work use the copyright symbol, for sound recordings, a “p” in a circle is substituted instead.

There are some requirements as to how this information should appear and where. Generally, it must be in a position on a document, book or recording that can be easily seen and read. But for more information about the specifics, you should check with the Federal Copyright Office.

How Long A Copyright Lasts

If you have a copyright, the law provides that you retain all rights your work for your lifetime, PLUS an additional 70 years. (Older works that were produced before 1978 are protected a little differently, so check with the Copyright Office if you have a piece of work created before then.)

If you are the author of an item, generally you will automatically receive the copyright protection on it. However, it is important to point out that if you sign a work-for-hire agreement and under those terms create something for a company, you forfeit your rights and the company is considered the author and the owner of the copyright.

The same thing holds if you contribute to a collective work, unless the work is such that each separate contribution can be distinguished and copyrighted individually and not only as part of the total product. It is also worth noting that owning a book, manuscript, painting or other work doesn’t automatically give the copyright if you aren’t the original creator. But that copyright can be legally transferred in some cases.