Time and time again, I see awesome-sauce photos, paintings and writings floating through my Facebook newsfeed. I am honored to be in the virtual company of so many talented peeps but on the other hand the creative free-for-all of social media concerns me.
I try not to offer unsolicited advice, but heck, who am I fooling?
Some things I just can’t keep to myself.
Record scratch.
Yo, talented peeps.
Please understand the value in your art.
I get that you feel an immediate need to hit that share button.
I get the panic and that life-altering adrenaline rush.
But I am begging you to ask yourself this question the next time you paint, write or shoot something completely awesome.
Would someone pay for this?
Is that a potential money shot, writing, painting that you are so anxious to share….
For free?
If so, pause.
Here is the deal. Yes, the moment you “create” you own the copyright.
But, copyright registrations matter.
Registering your work is a smart move because:
one.
You will have the right to sue for copyright infringement in federal court.
two.
You can recoup a larger amount of damages as well as attorney’s fees if someone steals your work, as provided by statutory law.
three.
Copyright registrations done within five years of when you first published the work are auto-proof that you are the actual copyright owner.
Of course, there are other reasons like hmmm….licensing privileges. But, let’s save that conversation for a rainy day.
Good stuff! So is there a way to create a general copyright for online social content or you have to separately copyright every piece of content? Great website! Love the layout and content!
@9a990ac216368990b2393ab8855a7df6:disqus thanks! Generally speaking you have to register each piece separately unless it qualifies as a series. Much of the law is still catching up to the world of online content.