Copyright

Before one can sue for copyright infringement of an original work, you must register the work with the U.S. Copyright Office.  Registration is relatively simple and inexpensive, so it is worth considering in every case.  Even without having filed an application to register the copyright, one should use the “©”copyright symbol on all original works to give notice to the public that you are claiming ownership of the copyright in the original work.  Among other benefits, it may prevent an infringer from claiming the infringement was innocent.

Visual and Printed Materials

The three requirements for proper notice of copyright are:

• The copyright symbol, the word “copyright,” or some abbreviation of the word “copyright”
• The year of the first publication
• The owner’s name

Audio Materials

Where the original work is a sound recording, use:

• “p” enclosed in a circle
• The year of the first publication
• The owner’s name

The notices should be placed on the original works so as to provide “reasonable notice” of the claim of a copyright in the work.  If original work consists of both audio materials and visual materials, both copyright notices should be used.