Know-How Exchange : Copywriting

Do you mean copywrite (using words to promote your business) or copyright (protecting your words from being used by others)?

It sounds as if you mean the latter. If you're in the US you automatically own the rights to your own work. If you want to make it clear to all who visit your site you can add a copyright notice.

© 2009 by (COMPANY NAME)

You can also add a notice saying that all rights are reserved.

More info here.

https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/

Hi Sales,

It's unfortunate that the two completely different things sound so similar, (Copyright and Copy writing), it's understandable people get them muddled.

In addition to Jkaplan & Stephanie's helpful advice have a look at Creative Commons (More here: https://creativecommons.org/) This allows you to reserve some rights to your work, but allow it to be distributed to a wider audience, as long as you a acknowledged as the creator and owner. It's a great way of letting your message spread… let people share it, as long as it creates awareness, and directs traffic back to you. It's very flexible, you can set it up as you want.

As an aside, copy writing your website is ESSENTIAL… I'm amazed at the number of organisations who would always employ a professional writer to do their printed literature, and allow (it would appear) the office junior to write the copy on their website. This applies to any associated downloadable articles too. The good news is the web is always update, so it's never too late to get it rewritten professionally. Your website has the potential to be an enormously far reaching and influential method of communication – think very carefully about the words you are using and the impression you're creating!

Hope this helps, good luck.

There is a great deal of misunderstanding about the nature of copyrights as if the right to copy

In basic terms, if you write something original, it can be words, music an image etc; then the moment that you publish it, it is protected. IE it is yours and nobody can copy it without permission from you.

The problem occurs when you need to prove that your creation is truly yours and truly unique and that you did not copy it from someone else.

The only way that this can be done is by making sure that your first date of publication, pre-dates any body else's claim.

To be sure, place the © 2009 by (OWNERS NAME - CAN BE A COMPANY OR AN INDIVIDUAL) On each page or image. That is the first warning to others that you are claiming ownership but it does not guarantee anything.

Since anyone can just place a © symbol on anything, then, should an issue arise later, you would have to be able to clearly prove that your first publication or creation of the work - pre dates that of whomever is contesting the ownership.

This is where copyright registration can be very helpful.

However, also understand that if someone wanted to contest ownership or you wanted to sue someone for copying your words, you would also have to establish a VALUE in terms of your lost income or revenues from the infringement. A court battle to protect something that ultimately is adjudged to be worth twopence in real terms :) Is a complete waste of everyones time :))

In this modern day age of open and free access on the internet, don't worry too much about being too prescious about the words that you publish unless you expect that they are going to become the next 'Harry Potter' like phenomenon, in which case I wouldn't place them online anyway :))

Decide what the goal of your web site is all about. If it is about bringing traffic, then let people freely copy your words onto their blogs and forum posts all over the world, So long as they link back to your site, then you drive traffic.

In truth, words on the internet these days are consumed at a massive rate. I produce content for Yahoo, AOL, Orange, Virginmedia, MSN and many many more major players. I have a team of creative writers working full blast everyday to write new articles and quizzes.

We send weekly new materials to these partners around the world. They typically get exposure for 1 day on the Home page or three days in a lifestyle channel somewhere and probably never see the light of day again. If I try to re cycle editorials from last year, I get a slap on the hands from the Yahoo editors. They want NEW NEW NEW editorial all the time, every day and every week.

Words have become a consumable just like candy or coke.

If your PDF's are really valuable, then charge users to access them. If you cannot get anyone to pay, then the real value of what you have to offer is ZERO therefore, the whole copyright issue becomes a moot point since it would be useless to sue someone over something that is worth ZERO. If your words really do have a monetary value that can be pinpointed, then best to protect yourself.

Sorry if I sound tough on this but just trying to add a dose of reality :) Good luck with it all.

Matthew