Julie BroadYour Non-Fiction Sidekick for Writing, Publishing & Marketing a Book That Builds Your Brand and Grows Your Biz

Why do authors need to file for copyrights in the US if Copyright Automatically applies?

19 Feb 2023 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:38

Julie Broad explains that copyright protects literary and artistic works automatically once you write them down, but filing with the US Copyright Office gives you legal advantages if someone infringes. Ideas alone aren't protected, only the fixed expression of them.

Chapters

Why do authors need a copyright? Well, copyright is the legal right to print, publish, film, record, or even perform literary, musical, or artistic work. It gives the owner the right to authorize others to use it through sale, license, or some other potentially limited use for an area, a language or purpose. When you take the material from your mind and put it on the paper, basically you're taking anything from an idea to physical form. Automatic copyright applies. An idea cannot be copyrighted. The expression of an idea in some tangible form is eligible for copyright protection. So stop thinking about that book and do it so you have protection.