The symbol © is the international copyright mark. It is not essential in the UK, or in most other countries, to mark your work with the symbol. However, although it is not essential, it is advisable to mark your work with the word Copyright, followed by the symbol ©, the name of the copyright owner, and the year of first publication. Marking your work in this way, not only acts as a deterrent, but may also assist should copyright infringement occur.

Use of the symbol © (or similar equivalent copyright indicator) is not a legal requirement in the majority of countries. Its presence simply reminds users that the owner has certain rights in the work and tells them the name of the copyright owner and the date of publication (or creation if the material is unpublished). The notice takes the form of the copyright symbol, followed by the name of the copyright owner and the year of first publication (e.g. © Deakin University 2004).

Yes, with written permission (called a “copyright release”) from the copyright holder. Ask the copyright holder to write you a letter. Have them include •Your name •Their name •The reason for the release (to be printed on business cards) and •The maximum quantity allowed to be reproduced. Send it to us with your photo.

Yes. Copyrights can be owned jointly. If two or more people create a work with the intent that their individual contributions merge into the final product, they will be joint owners of the copyright. The determination of joint ownership is a question of the intent of the participants. Joint copyright ownership can sometimes create difficult situations because joint owners become equal partners of each other with respect to their joint works.

The purchaser of a work owns only that particular copy of the work. The purchaser does not own any rights in the copyright covering the contents of the purchased copy. A purchaser cannot copy the purchased work, in whole or in part, without the copyright owner's permission unless such copying constitutes "fair use." Many times photographs or illustrations are covered by copyrights owned by a different party from the copyright owner of the material in which they are published.

In the event of a dispute, a successful outcome will depend on proving ownership and content of the work at a particular point in time. The frequently quoted method of posting a copy of your work to yourself, in theory would appear to provide proof of ownership. However, due to its lack of impartiality and ease of falsification, it could prove unreliable in a court of law.

Since this site is hosted in the US, a good place to start is the US Copyright Office. Note that laws in most other countries are similar but not identical. Another very good source on copyright protection is whatiscopyright.org.

A work must meet a number of requirements in order to receive copyright protection. First, all works are required to be "original" and "fixed in a tangible form." The originality requirement is low and it is normally met as long as the work is not a copy of another work. This means that if I come up with some character that resembles Superman without ever having seen or heard of Superman, then my creation is treated as original.

No. Ideas cannot be copyrighted. The only thing that can be copyrighted is the expression of the idea. This is sometimes a tricky concept. Copyright protection can extend to a written description of an idea or to a sketch for a proposed photograph that might be drawn by an art director in an advertising agency. However, copyright protection does not extend to the idea itself.

No. Since March 1, 1989, a copyright notation is no longer as absolute necessity of the Copyright Act. Nevertheless, it is still a good idea to do use a copyright notation as a reminder that the work is protected by law. Also, the copyright notation may act as a deterrent for would-be infringers. The regulations require that the notation be put in a reasonably conspicuous place. This could be on the surface of a phono record, the back of a photograph or the base of a sculpture. A Probably not.

Registration is recommended for a number of reasons. Many choose to register their works because they wish to have the facts of their copyright on the public record and have a certificate of registration. Registered works may be eligible for statutory damages and attorney's fees in successful litigation. Finally, if registration occurs within 5 years of publication, it is considered prima facie evidence in a court of law.

Your work is copyrighted the date you assign your signature to it. However copyrights should be registered with the Library of Congress. For more information visit http://www.loc.gov/index.html

Yes. You keep the copyright to your submission. If you achieve finalist status or better, Winning Writers only requests permission to publish your work on WinningWriters.com, in our email publications, and in our press releases. Any other use would be negotiated with you.

Once you have filed an application for registration of trademark, the "TM" symbol may be used with the mark. Anyone who claims rights in a mark may use the TM (trademark) designation with the mark to alert the public to the claim. However, the registration symbol, ?, may only be used once the mark is actually registered in the Trademark Registrar's Office. Even though an application is pending, the registration symbol may not be used before the mark has actually become registered.

Swiss Perfect allows you to configure the draw symbol. Select Options / Display / Symbols to access a dialog which allows you to select a symbol that you want to represent a draw (remember to check the Use draw symbol check box). One of the selectable symbols should be the "1/2" character however on your system it may look like a different character. This is because it is not included in some Windows fonts.

You are encouraged to spread the word as far and wide as possible. All emails sent by me may be forwarded freely provided they are sent unchanged. The content of any article on this site may be copied in full, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. An active hyperlink back to http://www.threeworldwars.com is required. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from the webmaster of ThreeWorldWars.com is required.

The photographer who captures a student image is the owner of the copyright to that image. This is the policy mandated by the federal copyright laws. The copyright to an image can be transferred only through written permission. An understanding between the school photographer, the school and publishers of yearbooks and other school related uses allow such reproductions. If you do not want your child's portrait reproduced in any school publications please contact your school administration.