What To Expect From A Copyright Website
Anyone interested in protecting his or her work today would look for a copyright website. From such an online portal, you can find out all there is to know about copyrights and what the copyright law provides. You can also view a checklist against which you can gauge if utilization still falls under the fair use doctrine. Today, many online resources provide copyright information and some, in addition to information, provide entertainment as well with their stories on lawsuits and notorious infringements.
Basic Information in a Copyright Website
There are some features that a website devoted to copyrights should have. When these features are present, the website is probably thorough, informative and therefore truly helpful to those who have questions they need to find answers to. This type of a website should:
• Provide its users with a good look at the law and pertinent regulations preferably in two versions: as the law is originally stated and in a simplified form;
• Allot a section providing for frequently asked questions;
• Give information on fees;
• Outline the process for registering a work;
• Inform the user about licensing and its procedure;
• Make available other links for information it does not choose to provide.
Probably the most comprehensive website today is still the official website provided by the government on copyrights. This portal contains updates on royalties, U.S. Customs and Border Protection in matters related to copyright protection and enforcement. At present, it allows creators to register their work online and at the same time provides links and ways to contact the government’s licensing division.
Other Features of Popular Websites
Some popular websites offer not only information but also extremely interesting insights on copyright enforcement and infringement. One website provides a very noteworthy analysis of how a film company was charged with infringement when it featured a sculpture housed in a museum that had licensed the film company to shoot footage in its premises. The issue brought up in the website was whether the use of the sculpture as background in the movie needed a separate license from the artist or the copyright holder or not.
The most compelling legal narratives on Internet infringement cases are also available in some of these websites. One such case, discussed in simple words, is the MGM vs. Grokster Case in which the person-to-person file-sharing website was found guilty of inducing piracy even if it did not keep a centralized indexing server but instead distributed software for persons to communicate and share files directly.
Help to Copyright Your Own Website
An important service you can get through websites devoted to copyright is help on copyrighting your own website. Most of these websites will tell you that first, when you hire people to create a website for you, your contract with them must explicitly state that you own the copyright to the website, its logo, and graphics. In addition, they will advise you to keep your receipts, transaction history and other relevant documents in case you ever need to prove ownership.
If you are creating your own website, you already own the copyright to it at the time it is made. However, it would be wise to display the official copyright notice so that no one will make the mistake of assuming it is in the public domain. This way, no one will unwittingly infringe on your exclusive rights. Their instruction will be to put the prescribed notice on the HTML or CSS and the footer of your web page so users can see it. Your notice should contain the enclosed letter C symbol followed by the year the website was created then the name of your company or your name.
A copyright website is not the usual destination for people surfing the Internet but it will serve you well on several occasions like when you want updated information on what is happening in the world of copyrights, when you want to register your work, and when you want to copyright your own website.
