What Is a Copyright?


Copyright is, at the most basic level, exactly what the name implies: the right to make copies of something that has been created. Now, it's important to note that the protection is for the created "thing"you can't copyright an idea. The copyright of the created "thing" (which the law tends to call an "expression") says that the copyright owner is the one who benefits from sales or performances of the work.

In the U.S., the copyright lasts for the lifetime of the author plus 70 years. If the work is created by a company instead of an individual, the copyright lasts 95 years from its publication or 120 years from its creation, whichever is shorter. Any way you look at it, the law says that you get to benefit from the things you create for a long, long time.

tip

The most current, concise information on registering a copyright can be found on the Library of Congress website at http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html. To register the MP3 file that contains your podcast, you'll want to use form SR (for sound recordings), which can be downloaded from http://www.copyright.gov/forms/formsri.pdf.


What can you do with a copyright? The same things you can do with anything else you own. You can buy, sell, trade, or transfer copyrights just like you would do with cars or baseball cards. You also get to decide who else can use your property, allowing others to play your podcastor not. It's your choice.

Now, your copyright comes into existence the moment you create something (such as a podcast). For the copyright to have force in court when it comes to economic damages, though, you have to register your copyright. The United States Library of Congress is the agency that registers copyrights in the U.S., through a process that requires a little time to make a copy of the recording and mail it to the copyright office, and a bit of money (the $25 fee). The process isn't terribly involved, but if you're doing a daily (or even a weekly) podcast, you can see where the fees would start to add up. If you're creating your podcast as a business, then the fee becomes part of your cost of doing business. If it's a hobby, but you still want to have some control over your podcast, then you might consider licensing its use, rather than relying on copyright registration.



Absolute Beginner's Guide to Podcasting
Absolute Beginners Guide to Podcasting.
ISBN: B001U8C03Q
EAN: N/A
Year: 2004
Pages: 167

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