Is it necessary for me to copyright my website in order to protect it?

 

Your company's website could be one of the most effective marketing tools you'll ever have. Unfortunately, the better it is, the more likely it is to attract the attention of unscrupulous competitors. They may have no qualms about appropriating your written content, photos, or other aspects and passing them off as their own.

How do you keep individuals from stealing your website's content and images?

Creators of original works, such as literary, theatrical, musical, and aesthetic works, are protected by copyright (for example, play scripts, movies, poetry, books, songs, photography and even computer software). It protects the way things are expressed/presented in works (e.g., visuals, word or music arrangements, etc.) but not "facts, ideas, systems, or methods of operation," according to the US Copyright Office. When you produce anything unique (a drawing, a poem, a photograph, etc. ), copyright law instantly gives you ownership of the work.

This holds true for digital content, such as web pages.

 

You've probably seen terms like "Copyright 2017," "All Rights Reserved," or "2017" at the bottom of most web pages. This indicates to others that the website's owner claims ownership of the content on the site. To illustrate that we own our websites  markshield  utilises "Copyright 2017 SCORE Association, www.score.org," while my company's website shows "2008 - 2017 Corp Net, Incorporated. All Rights Reserved." Even if you don't add a copyright notice on your website, you are still protected. However, I recommend that you include such text since it can assist dissuade others from believing your information is available for free.

When to Copyright and What to Copyright

Filing for copyright registration "provides proof of ownership and eligibility for statutory damages," according to corporate attorney William Goldman, founder of Goldman Law Group PLCC in Washington, D.C. "Also, registration is essential for launching a copyright infringement complaint," he says.

 

 

Most firms don't copyright a full website; instead, they copyright certain sections of it. The term "website content" usually refers to customized works such as:

 

 

 

Blogs

 

Articles

 

Photographs

 

Music

 

Video

 

Recordings

 

Copyrighting content before opening a website is recommended by Corrine Chen, an associate attorney at Romano Law in New York City, however it can be done on a rolling basis.

 

 

 

"Each piece of content may be registered with the Copyright Office either on separate applications or grouped together in one application as a compilation of multiple works or collective works," she explains. "Consider how much content needs to be registered and decide which practice would work best for keeping.  read this post Why Should You Register a Trademark?

How to Copyright Content on a Website

According to search engine optimization expert Jon Torres, who operates a website development, design, and content marketing agency in San Diego, copyrighting web material may be done in three stages.

 

 

Fill out the application for the United States Copyright Office. Make a note of the registered website's kind or category, creator, and copyright owner.

 

The non-refundable charge must be paid. Print registration is more expensive than online registration for a single piece of authorship. Copyrights are valid for the author's lifetime plus 70 years. Renewal incurs an extra charge.

 

To register, bring a copy (or numerous copies) of the work. Text, movies, photos, audio recordings, and other creative works make up the artistic portion of a website. HTML programming and other code are included in the technical section.

Intellectual Property Protection

According to attorney Erin Austin, who represents motion picture production and distribution firms and publishers, businesses typically register evergreen items that will be widely circulated, such as white papers, manifestos, or PDF guidelines.

 

 

"Registering each page, which tends to change and be updated on a frequent basis, makes less sense," says Austin, the founder of Think Beyond IP, a boutique legal practise in Northern Virginia. "The majority of the content is copyright protected. Other elements, such as the logo or motto, may be protected by trademarks."

 

 

 

Intellectual property includes trademarks, copyrights, patents, and trade secrets. It is a catch-all term for any output of human intellect—inventions, creative works, designs, symbols, names, and images—that is utilised in commerce and that the law protects against unlawful use.

Investing in Valuable Business Assets

Rick Hoskins considers his subscription air filtration company's website to be a valuable tool.

 

 

"It was a no-brainer for me to legally safeguard my company online," says Filter King's creator. "Plagiarism is ubiquitous on the internet today." And, regrettably, copy cats exist in every field, ready to steal parts from your marketing text and pass them off as their own."

 

 

 

Shaun Martin, the owner of a Denver-based real estate investment firm, feels that copyrighting his website offers an extra degree of security to dissuade unethical individuals.

 

 

 

"As a small company owner and content producer who relies on material to create money," adds Watson Buys' founder, "I feel the tiny expense of registering website copyright is worth the effort." "I've had a few instances when people have utilised my content on their website without crediting me as the author. A polite email with a reference to my copyright.