As I understand it, if your work is being done as 'work for hire' which is what most work that is in the technical communication sphere is, then copyright is held by the company or organization or whoever is paying for the work. However, the individual creator does hold a kind of implicit copyright on stuff that he or she creates until paid for it. This can be important in a contractor relationship - ask Geoff Hart. He knows something about this.
All creative work is covered by some kind of copyright and this copyright is held by the creator of the particular item of work. Whether or not you add the little c-circle symbol and name/year. But that little symbol does make the legal protection stronger. There is this place called 'Copyright Clearance Center' but as I understand it, they collect fees for using materials that are used in an academic setting. Jim Jones http://tinyurl.com/4arjc -----Original Message----- "In general, copyright registration is a legal formality intended to make a public record of the basic facts of a particular copyright. However, registration is not a condition of copyright protection. Even though registration is not a requirement for protection, the copyright law provides several inducements or advantages to encourage copyright owners to make registration." http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html#cr More on this page as to what can and can't be protected, and a bunch of other stuffs...Milan Davidovic On 4/26/07, Brierley, Sean <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi > > If I create art -- vector, photo, whatever -- is it implicitly protected > as my work or do I need to obtain an external copyright through some > agency? Any sources for that opinion? > > If I author text content -- user manual, whatever -- is it implicitly > protected as my work or do I need to obtain an external copyright > through some agency? Any sources for that opinion? ______________________________________________ Author Help files and create printed documentation with Doc-To-Help. New release adds Team Authoring Support, enhanced Web-based help technology and PDF output. Learn more at www.doctohelp.com/tcp. DOCUMENTATION & TRAINING WEST 07: THE USER EXPERIENCE April 18-21, 2007 ~ Vancouver BC ~ Marriott Pinnacle ~ free city tour 40+ sessions * free workshops * free iPod offer * www.doctrain.com _______________________________________________ Technical Communication Professionals Post a message to the list: email [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, unsubscribe, archives, account options, list info: http://techcommpros.com/mailman/listinfo/tcp_techcommpros.com Subscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe (email): send a blank message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Need help? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] Get the TCP whole experience! http://www.techcommpros.com
