Do you have a fabulous website that YOU created, with YOUR original content? Have you thought about protecting that website and its component parts? If you’ve not given much thought to the protection of your website, now is the time to change your thinking.
Your website, like your blog posts, books, articles, videos, screenplays, music, marketing materials other valuable content, in some cases can be protected by copyright.
Copyright for Website.
While the Copyright Office does not register websites, per se, it does allow you to register the copyrightable content that is on your website. For example, did you know that you can register the source code, the audio visual material (e.g., videos), text, and any visual content (e.g., cartoons, photos)? Don’t wait until someone has copied your website to take action. Register it with the US Copyright Office now.
In order to obtain a copyright registration for your website, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Your website content MUST be original,
- You (not your web designer) must own the content,
- If you handle the registration yourself, make sure you do it right or you won’t have a valid registration,
- Read Copyright Office Circular 66 carefully
- Make sure you use the correct form,
- Remember, update your registration whenever you make significant revisions to your website
Francine D. Ward
Attorney-At-Law, Author, Speaker
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