I am an artist how do I register copyright?

Lawyer online - free lawyer information - lawyer advice


The process for registering copyright is quite simple. If you are the original creator or the artworks, then it is quite easy to claim copyright over the works. There are defintie benefits to registering a copyright, which is a relatively cheap and easy thing to do. Check that the works comply with the requirements found in these forms:

FORMVA http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formvai.pdf
FORMCON http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formcon.pdf

Then send the completed forms with a $45 payment to "Register of Copyrights also include nonreturnable copy(ies) of the material to be registered. You send it to this address:

Library of Congress
Copyright Office
101 Independence Avenue, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20559-6000

You still have some rights to claim copyright when it is not registered, however registering copyright just gives a much better set of legal rights if there is any dispute over the works. AN example is that usually the maximum period of unregistered copyright protection is the life of the author plus 70 years, where as it is indefinite where there is registration. Ultimately though, this is your decision. You can certainly still include the paintings as part of the assets of the trust whether it is registered or not for copyright. I think that these would be calssified as authorised copies of the paintings. If you deem these works to be authorised copies of the work which you are undertaking using a statement in the trust document, there should be no problem with this.

Need more info? Ask an expert at Just Answer.com by entering your question above