Is original artwork/music automatically copyrighted?

Question

Hey everyone,

If I create an original drawing or record a song I wrote, is it automatically copyrighted or could someone else claim it as their own? For example, if someone came across my recording or image, could they somehow copyright it themselves and/or use it for their own purposes, thus claiming ownership, outside of my control?

Thanks for any help. I'm just trying to understand how that all works.

--C

Answer 1

In 163 countries copyright exists the moment you make something original, like a song.

The problem is when someone rips you off and then you have to prove that the copyright was yours and not someone elses. It's not good enough to have a dated version on your own or a friends computer or send it in a letter because you could easily alter that. It has to be independent.

You can upload them to a special webpage and they fingerprint them and record the time you uploaded. This means that you have an independent record showing when you made it.

You can use the US copyright service which costs about $45 per application you make. This takes about 4 to 6 months to get registered.

You can also use an international online service called http://www.provemycopyright.com. You get an account with 1Gb of space to upload lots of your songs or music, even if they are in demo format. When you make a new version, you can just upload that one too and it doesn't cost you anything extra.

This one kind of acts like an independent third party which helps to prove that you were in control of the copyright before you send it off to a publisher.

Hope this helps!