Copyright Act Rules
- A copyright symbol signifies a protected work.copyright image by YvesBonnet from Fotolia.com
The Copyright Act of 1976, enacted by the 94th Congress, is a revision of the Copyright Law of the United States Code. Protection now extends to any authored work, created in any tangible medium known at present or with the possibility of later development. It covers any work that can be directly communicated, with or without the use of mechanical aids. - All of your creative efforts are covered under the Copyright Act of 1976. If you are a writer, any literary work that you produce is eligible for a copyright filing. Fiction and nonfiction books, children's picture books and others fall into this category. Any musical work that you create and the words that go with it can be copyrighted. Stage plays and musical comedies, dramatic works and musical accompaniment are protected by copyright. All works of choreography and pantomime may be copyrighted as well as photographs, paintings, drawings, cartoons, sculptures, motion pictures, sound recordings and audiovisual presentations. Architectural works were added in 1990 to the list of intellectual properties that may be covered by a copyright.
- The 1976 act increases the length of your copyright protection under Section 302. Prior copyrights offered maximum protection of 56 years. Copyright protection now extends to the life of the author plus 50 years of coverage after the author's death. Basic copyright protection for works submitted prior to 1978 was increased to 75 years by adding 47 years to the original 28 years of protection. Congressman Sonny Bono introduced legislation in 1998 that extended copyright protect to the life of the author plus 75 years for general copyrights. Copyrighted works for hire are protected for a total of 95 years.
- Registration with the United States Copyright Office is not required to secure copyright protection. The 1976 act only requires that you file copies of published works with the Copyright Office along with the proper filing forms. If at any time you plan an infringement of copyright action, you must file for a copyright before that action can go forward.
- Under the 1975 act, you may transfer the ownership of your copyrights to others. Section 204 of the act requires that a written document be executed to transfer ownership rights. This document must be filed with the Copyright Office together with appropriate copyright forms.
- It is no longer necessary to submit a complete manuscript for written works with the Copyright Office. Submissions are now accepted in CD or DVD format. The Copyright Office also offers electronic filing as a service to works creators. Online filing for a basic claim requires a lower filing fee, processes faster and provides online tracking. Payment may be made with a credit or debit card or electronic check. Certain electronic files may be uploaded directly.
