If I design t-shirts do I have to copyright/register every single design I do separately?

Question

I know copyrights are free and are effective once you've created your design but if I want to register. do I have to resgister each design, every time?

Answer 1

Yes you do. In the event that you want to sell and distribute your design through personal marketing or what have you, it needs to be protected. Anyone can claim them as their own, market them and actually sue YOU if the designs become marketed after the fact by you or any other entity, if you attempt to use them. Its prove that you are the sole inventor of that design.

Answer 2

I think you could create a logo or trademark symbol, register that, and put it on all your T-shirt designs.  Then everything you create should be protected under that trademark.

Answer 3

If you have a lot of designs lying around, you can register them all together at once with the US Copyright Office, but for all new designs you make you will have to pay for those individually, or save them up again and wait to register. (This obviously isn't a great idea).

Software programmers and musicians have the same problem as the constantly make new things and registering everything through the USCO would be very expensive.

I have used www.provemycopyright.com because it gives a 1Gb account where you can upload all your works over time, without having to worry about the cost adding up.

It's not quite the USCO, but it does give third party, independent proof of when you created something.

Answer 4

Copyrights do not need to be registered to be effective. If you do choose to register, though, then yes, you must register each separate design.

Richard