How do I protect the copyright of my articles?

Question

I am trying to get my articles published in a newspaper or magazine. How do I protect my work?

Answer 1

ask Citizens advice, they will be able to tell you who to get in contact with.

Answer 2

You don't need to. It's copyrighted as soon as you write it.

Answer 3

here ia an article that might help

http://www.sparkplugging.com/craft-boom/...

Answer 4

Anything you write is automatically your copyright. Keep all your back up work, research and early drafts of your writing. This should be enough to suffice if you come to a dispute about ownership.

You may be advised to post yourself a copy of the work and keep the envelope unopened - but this has no legal standing. I believe you can get a solicitor to verify that the work is your own creation, but this will cost you. Another way is to lodge a copy with your bank if they offer you this service. With Barclays it costs around £20 per year to do this and you have proof of the date when your material was put into storage.