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Geek Culture / copy right question (on websites)

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smiley
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Posted: 9th Nov 2007 19:58
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i have 3 websites
at the bottam of most websites you see a copyright thing saying all rights reseved or something like that can i put them on my website do i do this by adding a footer and just puting the smbol and watever else or do i need to get permision or buy something
sorry this is probably a noob question

http://www.ocgames.tk
(sight in development games coming soon)
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Insert Name Here
17
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Location: Worcester, England
Posted: 9th Nov 2007 20:03
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No, it is automaticaly copyright the moment you make it as long as you haven't stolen any content. So just put Copyright © John Smith 2007 or whatever.

Nya!
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Digital Awakening
AGK Developer
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Posted: 9th Nov 2007 20:06
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Yeah, you really are protected with or without that info but I guess it helps to remind your visitors if you don't want them "stealing" anything

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Insert Name Here
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Posted: 9th Nov 2007 20:12
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©©©©©?©©©©©©?©
Waht a great symbol.

Nya!
Well, yes but - wait, what?
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smiley
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Posted: 9th Nov 2007 20:13
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thank you for your very quick respons

http://www.ocgames.tk
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Insert Name Here
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Posted: 9th Nov 2007 20:21
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No problem.
One side note: if you are in the US in order to acess copyright laws you have to pay a small amount of money, but yoou don't have to pay just to make it copyright.
As far as I am aware

Nya!
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smiley
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Posted: 9th Nov 2007 20:45
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thanks again i live in the uk but i think the same rules aply

http://www.ocgames.tk
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Insert Name Here
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Posted: 9th Nov 2007 21:23
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Rules are different here I think. Not sure though.

Nya!
Well, yes but - wait, what?
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Junkrock
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Posted: 9th Nov 2007 21:25
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You own copyright on your work the moment its finished, the thing you are talking about paying for is securing copyright which is basically a way of legally saying you own copyright should someone challenge or copy you.

DaZ


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Keo C
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Posted: 10th Nov 2007 01:10 Edited at: 10th Nov 2007 01:10
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Never hurts to register the copyright on something very important though. Holds up better in court.


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tha_rami
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Posted: 10th Nov 2007 03:51 Edited at: 10th Nov 2007 03:52
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You get copyright on something as soon as you have anything that is 'obviously something in visible/material state' created by you (ie. a website template).

Copyright is only available on material things (including virtual ones) but not for abstract things (ideas, ideals).

In some countries, the (c) symbol holds no value. The perfect copyright notification would be "(c) Copyright by [name] (year)". In most countries, you lose copyright after 60 years after your death.

Also note that you're protected for free by the Berne convention in 1886, which states any artistic or literary work. In the world, 163 countries have signed the treaty (as far as I'm aware). The US (I'd daresay once again) is the only one working under the convention that does not adhere to the rules: Copyright protection should be free. In the US, it costs money to register something to be able to recieve statutory damages. In other words: the copyright claim is rather useless in the US.


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Keo C
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Posted: 10th Nov 2007 05:04 Edited at: 10th Nov 2007 05:05
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Quote: "In other words: the copyright claim is rather useless in the US."

Unless you pay. *wink*
After reading this I'm moving to Canada.
(Edit): I can't move to Canada, I don't like Maple Syrup.


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Aaron Miller
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Playing: osu!
Posted: 10th Nov 2007 05:46
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After reading that as well, I too shall move to Canada! Or make my own country.... >:} WELCOME TO PETORIA! I was going to call it peter-land, but that gay bar down the street already took the name

Cheers,

-naota

"I'd newbie slap here, but I've no idea how far I'd need slap before they'd come back with a clue." - VanB
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smiley
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Posted: 10th Nov 2007 13:07
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thank you i think i understand now you hav all been a great help

http://www.ocgames.tk
(sight in development games coming soon)
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Keo C
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Posted: 10th Nov 2007 17:21 Edited at: 10th Nov 2007 17:24
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Quote: "After reading that as well, I too shall move to Canada!"

Or, we'll claim a piece of land in Antarctica and then form a central government and then honor copy-right claims.
{edit} After that we can build a military and wage war against Windows Users.....errrrrummmm some other small country.


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Grandma
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Posted: 10th Nov 2007 17:41
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Quote: "Or, we'll claim a piece of land in Antarctica and then form a central government and then honor copy-right claims.
{edit} After that we can build a military and wage war against Windows Users.....errrrrummmm some other small country."


I say, seppuku....aren't these little rookie-empires cute when they try to impersonate us? I say we donate them some hardware and see how it goes. Who knows, we might get some valuable allies in the future.

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Aaron Miller
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Posted: 10th Nov 2007 18:37 Edited at: 10th Nov 2007 18:37
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No - Our country only accepts the currency of home-made cookies from "Grandma". Anything else is an insult!

"I'd newbie slap here, but I've no idea how far I'd need slap before they'd come back with a clue." - VanB
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Agent Dink
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Posted: 10th Nov 2007 19:02
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Does anyone actually own Antarctica? I mean... is it free for the taking? Why not make some sort of biodome down there and start a small country.

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Grandma
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Posted: 10th Nov 2007 19:06
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I think there's an international law that prohibits anyone owning it exclusively, but i can't say for certain.

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Hobgoblin Lord
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Posted: 10th Nov 2007 20:09
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Quote: "Copyright is only available on material things (including virtual ones) but not for abstract things (ideas, ideals)."


Thats not correct, ideas can recieve a copyright. A guy several years ago copywrote a method of add ons at fast food restaraunts costing a round up (hard one to explaian without example). say your purchase was $2.68 you could add on an apple pie(or similar) for .32 to round to $3.00. Some ideas fall under trademark like the phrase "lets get ready to rumble" but many can be copywritten.

Not having something on file in the US does not prevent you from pursuing damages in the US, but it does make it much easier to prove. Many for years have used the "poor mans copywrite" of mailing a copy of something to themselves and leaving it sealed to prove copywrite.

http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=73324&b=8
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Gil Galvanti
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Posted: 10th Nov 2007 20:10 Edited at: 10th Nov 2007 20:12
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I think countries have territorial claims on it for research only. Yeah, here:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Antarctica.jpg
It can only be used for scientific research, no military activity is allowed on the continent, and it has no permanent residents.


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tha_rami
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Posted: 10th Nov 2007 21:27
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Quote: "Thats not correct, ideas can recieve a copyright. A guy several years ago copywrote a method of add ons at fast food restaraunts costing a round up (hard one to explaian without example). say your purchase was $2.68 you could add on an apple pie(or similar) for .32 to round to $3.00. Some ideas fall under trademark like the phrase "lets get ready to rumble" but many can be copywritten.

Not having something on file in the US does not prevent you from pursuing damages in the US, but it does make it much easier to prove. Many for years have used the "poor mans copywrite" of mailing a copy of something to themselves and leaving it sealed to prove copywrite."

Ideas can be patented... not copyrighted as far as I know. And in the US you cannot pursue statutory damages without filing it (against payment).


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Agent Dink
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Posted: 10th Nov 2007 22:08 Edited at: 10th Nov 2007 22:09
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Almost makes you wonder what's so researchable and protected down in Antarctica? Ideas for a conspiracy theory based shooter anyone?

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Jeff032
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Posted: 10th Nov 2007 23:18
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Quote: "Ideas can be patented... not copyrighted as far as I know"


Correct, can't copyright ideas.

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Matt Rock
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Posted: 11th Nov 2007 00:51
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Quote: "Many for years have used the "poor mans copywrite" of mailing a copy of something to themselves and leaving it sealed to prove copywrite."

That's what I hate about the Copyright office. They tell you [url=http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.htmlnot to do that because it doesn't work[/url], but I've been told by a number of people it does, so I don't see anything wrong with using it. It's post-dated so I can't see why it wouldn't stand up in court, unless the copyright office has some previous ruling to say it can't work. They just want money from people, lol. But curiously, I just tried to use "the Google" to find a case where the Poor Man's copyright worked, but came up dry... is it an urban legend or can someone find a court case where the Poor Man's copyright stood up?


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Jeku
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Posted: 11th Nov 2007 02:32
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I don't believe the mail system will hold up in court. A clever person can forge that, anyways.

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bitJericho
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Posted: 11th Nov 2007 03:29
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Quote: "Almost makes you wonder what's so researchable and protected down in Antarctica? Ideas for a conspiracy theory based shooter anyone?"


the ice-wall of course. Keeps the water from falling off the side of the Earth.


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Grandma
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Posted: 11th Nov 2007 10:19
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Quote: "the ice-wall of course. Keeps the water from falling off the side of the Earth."


lol, indeed.

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Hobgoblin Lord
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Posted: 11th Nov 2007 11:01
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Well I have a few books on copyright, from when I was doing pnp rpg's, and they all mention using the US mail and it being valid. They do however suggest if you can do so to have your material on file. Getting something notarized also works, the problem comes, as they explain, from proving that your copyright was knowingly violated if it is not on file.

http://forum.thegamecreators.com/?m=forum_view&t=73324&b=8
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IanM
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Posted: 11th Nov 2007 15:35
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Quote: "I don't believe the mail system will hold up in court."

It will if you mail it to you lawyer/solicitor to hang on to for you

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smiley
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Posted: 11th Nov 2007 21:18
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thanks but im 15 lol (almost 16) so i dont have a lowyer/solicitor but im a uk sitisen so i get it free

http://www.ocgames.tk
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Insert Name Here
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Posted: 12th Nov 2007 18:19
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Never too young to get a lawyer... you never know what might happen.

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Sudoku arts, the rabi and Nancy DrewG
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Jeff Miller
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Posted: 14th Nov 2007 03:04
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I'm a U.S. copyright lawyer with a few observations on the U.S. take on some of the issues mentioned in this thread.

The "mailing to yourself" practice is only useful for corroborating the earliest date on which the contents of the mailing existed, assuming the postmark date is legible. It is more useful in patent disputes than copyright disputes, since patent disputes over who among several claimed inventors should get the patent often involve determination of who completed an invention first, and a written description that sufficiently teaches how to make and use the invention is sufficient completion.

In the U.S. copyright attaches at the time an artistic expression is fixed in a tangible medium, and a tangible medium can be virtually anything other than your own head. Who created a particular copyrightable expression first is not as critical as who completed an invention first in patent disputes. If I come up with a great website layout and can prove beyond doubt that I came up with it before you did, you will not be infringing upon my rights unless you actually copied my layout or derived your layout from mine. If you author and publish the IDENTICAL layout in ignorance of mine, you have not infringed any right of mine even if it damages me. I can only make out a case against you by proving substantial similarity between your layout and mine AND proving that you had access to mine (unless I can prove direct copying by various means). Any mailing of a copy from me to myself proves neither.

In the US the registration of a claim to copyright is a precondition to suing, not a precondition to obtaining rights. AS noted in a comment above, the timing of registering a claim to copyright can affect the right to claim statutory damages, but no matter when you register the claim to copyright, even a year after the infringement happened and a day before you sue, you can always claim actual damages and the infringer's profits.

When composing your copyright notice, which is not required for protection, the U.S. statutes indicate that the year stated in the copyright notice should be the year of first publication, not the year of creation (in case they are different). It is customary when you publish a revised version in a year subsequent to the year of first publication to indicate that by a comma and the year of publication of the revision, e.g. (c) Smiley 2006, 2007
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