How do I copyright my work?

Your creative work is immediately copyrighted the moment you make it.  Any author of an original work owns the copyright to that work. Only you have the right to derive works, such as prints, from your own work.  This right remains with you even after your work is sold.  The new owner has bought your work but not its copyright, unless you have transferred it via contract.

Your copyright remains in effect for 70 years after your death and its ownership is part of your estate.

You do not have to attach a copyright notice to your work, although it is recommended. This means including the copyright symbol (©) with your name and initials and date in an unobtrusive area on the work itself, such as the back of a canvas.

To truly protect yourself in the case of infringement, look up the copyright rules and expenses for your country and pay the small fee to officially register your work.

You can also lump work together as a collection and pay one fee for the group instead of individual fees for each work. Copyright registration protects you if you were to pursue a copyright case in a federal court.

The following copyright websites, for example, explain everything in detail:

In the U.S. go to: http://www.copyright.gov

In Australia go to: http://www.copyright.org.au

In the UK, go to: http://www.copyright.org.uk

All other countries should have heir own online website for their individual laws on copyright pertaining to their own country.

If you are doing commissioned creative work, however, keep in mind that the copyright belongs to whomever hired you. If a copyrighted work is reproduced or publicly displayed by means other than that “fair use” (fair use regulations differ by country), it’s called an infringement.

There are various factors, considered by courts when determining whether or not a particular use is fair. To familiarise yourself with these factors, go to the above web addresses.

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