How do I get a book copyrighted?

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I am in the process of writing a cookbook and need to find out how to get it copyrighted. Can anyone help?

-- Murray in ME (lkdmfarm@megalink.net), March 20, 2002

Answers

As soon you create something in the form of a screenplay, novel, short story, or a cookbook and you put the copyright symbol on it in a prominent place with the word Copyright followed by the year in which you completed the work and your name, the material is legally copyrighted. It looks like this, (C) COPYRIGHT 1997 “YOUR NAME HERE” ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (Except the (C) is really a "C" inside a closed circle.) You can also add the usual "No part of this book may be used by any person for any reason without the express written consent of the Author" or something to that effect. Check the copyright info in just about any book to see what I mean.

This copyright is legal, but is usually not sufficient to support an infringement suit. For that, you need to register your work with the Copyright Office at the Library of Congress. They have a form, you fill it out send it in, with two copies of your work in a sealed envelope, which they file and keep -- until such time as there's an infringement suit. The Copyright Office has a Web page from which you can download the form: http://www.loc.gov/copyright/

Have fun writing (and cooking!)

-- Andrea Gauland (andreagee@aol.com), March 20, 2002.


You may want to look at getting an International Standard Book Number to each of your titles. ISBNs assist librarians, distributors, wholesalers and booksellers in identifying, ordering and maintaining inventory control over new titles. To receive an ISBN application form or for more information contact: International Standard Book Numbering/U.S. Agency, R.R. Bowker, 121 Chanlon Road, New Providence, NJ 07974, (908-665-6770).

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), March 20, 2002.

I have a friend who used to "copyright" his songs by mailing copies of them to himself and having the post office hand stamp the seal (flap) on the envelope.

-- Kathy (catfish201@hotmail.com), March 20, 2002.

Kathy, the "poor man's copyright" might stand up if the offending party simply stole the work and reproduced it, but it will not stand up to a valid copyright office registration. Better to pay the money and do it right.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), March 20, 2002.

In 1997 I Copyrighted a book that no one would publish for me. It cost a mere $20. and I did so as a Manuscript which allow you to change minor thing without having to apply again for a new Copywrite. It took about 6 months to process and you must send one copy with your application. To Copyright a book requires 2 finished copies with your application. If you are using any materials that are not your own it gets very complicated since a search will need to be done to see who did copyright and when. Usually a publisher will charge a small fee when they agree to print a book which usually covers a search. They changed the laws some time back, now a copyright lasts the life time of the auther plus 50 years. It was 28 years and had to be renewed or lost. I filled out a single sheet of paper, their short form, and have it in my files. Since I wrote the book, took all the photos used, I could do that. Hope this sheds light on your question.

-- David Goss (dj94goss@msn.com), March 20, 2002.


Also recipes fall into the class of difficult to protect class of topics. Recipes can be altered sufficiently to "qualify as different" . You may have to settle for registering trademarks. The copyright office at the Library of Congress can advise you of your options and monetary costs so that you can pursue the most logical avenue.

Did you know that the gentleman that originally came up with the "hula hoop" couldn't patent it because it failed the protection criteria ? He registered a trademark and secretly built hundreds of thousands of them. After release, while the Japanese were knocking them off, his family built another load with soybeans grown on their farms inside and released the "shoop hoop".

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), March 20, 2002.


Thanks for all the great responses. You were all very helpful.

-- Murray in ME (lkdmfarm@megalink.net), March 21, 2002.

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