> On Jul 3, 2018, at 2:37 PM, Jim Hall <jh...@freedos.org> wrote:
> [..]
> In the US (and in many other countries) copyright exists the moment
> you create sometime and put your name to it. The US government does
> *not* need to keep a record of it in order for copyright to happen.
> From the US Copyright Office FAQ:
>
> When is my work protected?
> Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and
> fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or
> with the aid of a machine or device.
>
> <https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html#mywork>
>
>
> *Note: the correct spelling is "copyright" because the creator has the
> RIGHT to say how a COPY is made.
Yep…
As a software creator, I looked into this years ago. This was
my interpretation of what I discovered.
US copyright law regarding software is similar to that regarding the
written word (Books, Magazines and etc). It is protected by
copyright at the moment of creation.
If I were to start writing a program and put my name in the initial
comments, it would instantly fall under copyright law. In fact, while
I typed on the keyboard, each new keypress would be protected.
Unfortunately…
Although publishing the work can at least establish the date the protected
work was created, it is only a partial solution. Without registering the
copyrighted work with the US Copyright Office, the holder of the copyright will
be on a poor legal footing and have a difficult time enforcing
any copyright violations committed against their work.
Jerome
( This message is Copyright 2018 Jerome Shidel. It its being licensed
as a Public Domain work. You may reproduce this work in whole or
in part. )
:-)
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