Know-How Exchange : Other

Info below is for the US. Rules vary in other countries.

If the contents are the same, registering the copyright for the book should also cover the on-line content.

Note - registering a copyright is not required to own the copyright. Basically, if you wrote it, you own the copyright. Registering just makes it a bit easier to get someone else to stop using your work, should that happen.

Details on copyrights can be found at:
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/copyright-law/

Note - I am not an attorney or copyright expert.

Dear Scott,

NOTE: I am not an attorney or copyright expert.

However, as per Peter's view above: if you wrote the text, you own the rights to it. Where it is in terms of being in print or on line is neither here nor there. All intellectual material that is recorded in whatever way, shape, or form is covered by copyright laws, both for the country it was produced in, and by international copyright laws.

Unauthorized use of images, sound recordings, video, movies, text, and so on WITHOUT the written consent of its originator is theft. To protect your work you really need do nothing. If you feel it's necessary, place the copyright symbol © in the relevant place. But you may NOT use the ® symbol UNLESS it is attached to a registered trademark (at least, that's my understanding of the law in the USA). The little ® symbol tells people the mar is REGISTERED.

Online there is a way (for a fee) to protect your copyright and that's through https://www.copyscape.com/.

As for the date range (as is the case with the bottom of this site where it says © 2000 - 2010), it basically means that all content on this site produced between the dates is protected by copyright, so hands off.

Again, NOTE: I am not an attorney or copyright expert. But this said, I hope this wee offering helps. Good luck to you.

Gary Bloomer
Wilmington, DE, USA

I'm not an attorney either, so this should not be considered legal advice.

Having copyrights, whether so indicated with the (c) symbol or not, only gives you legal support should you decide to actually sue someone if/when they steal your work. Most of the time the cost of true legal action exceeds the damages, so the copyright is not worth much.

Of course, not everyone understands this, so many may be deterred from taking your work without authorization when they see that (c) symbol. And you can use it whenever and wherever you like, as long as the material is really yours.

My view: Use it on the website, but don't flaunt it or make it too prominent. Just be sure to include it. That way perhaps a would-be thief will think twice before stealing your material. And if you ever decide to send a cease-and-desist letter, you'll have the bully pulpit of a copyright. (Yes, it's a paper tiger, but if it scares someone it has accomplished the objective.)