The US Copyright Registry is a company that sends spammy e-mails to webmasters asking if they want their content copyrighted. The prices are extremely high, about ten times the cost of the actual copyright, and they do very little work. While “Scam” may not be the best way to describe the US Copyright Registry, I think we can all agree charging $350 for a $30 copyright is far past the land of sanity and is way into ridiculous-territory.
The thing to remember is the second you write a post on your blog or create a new web page you hold the copyright on it thanks to a lovely creation called the Berne Convention. The only thing registering in the US gets you is the ability to bring forth a lawsuit over copyright infringement. For most blogs and websites in general this is unneeded. I think the only time registration is helpful is for something like an e-book, a chunk of software, a rare photo, etc. Think about it, if you had to sue someone over a stolen blog post would you? What if they stole a program you sell for $30 a pop. Which would make it easier for you to prove you lost profit? Which would be worth missing work over?
Ah yes, and let’s not forget if you can write your name and address you can register your copyright with the U.S. govt. If I remember correctly registration is only about $40.
For a more in depth look at the US Copyright Registry be sure to check out Plagiarism Today.
Please subscribe, or else I will cry. Do you really want to make a programmer cry?
March 15th, 2008 at 11:37 am
So anytime I create something on the internet, I own the copyright to it?
March 15th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Yes, images, text, etc. The Berne Convention, which many countries have adopted, gives you the copyright from the second it is created. So if someone were to steal your unregistered image you could still file DMCA takedown notices to get the stolen copy taken down - however you cannot file a lawsuit without first registering (a stupid US regulation put on top of their adaptation of the Berne Convention).