Showing posts with label copyright basics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label copyright basics. Show all posts

Sunday, September 14, 2025

Protecting Your Intellectual Property: What You Need to Know About Copyright; Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), September 11, 2025

Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware®, Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA) ; Protecting Your Intellectual Property: What You Need to Know About Copyright

"Copyright is a complex subject about which there are many misconceptions.

I was reminded of that this week, thanks to an email from an author who discovered that several of their books were included in one of the databases of pirated works used by the AI company Anthropic for AI training. The author wanted to know whether they were eligible to be part of the gigantic $1.5 billion settlement Anthropic has agreed to pay to compensate writers for its misuse of their intellectual property. (You can read more about the lawsuit, and the settlement, here.)

One of the criteria for eligibility, set by the court, is that copyrights to the pirated works must have been properly registered with the US Copyright Office before Anthropic downloaded the databases. And indeed, the author’s books were all registered in a timely manner…but not with the Copyright Office. Instead, the author used a website called Copyrighted.com, which offers a kind of faux registration using timestamps and its own certificates.

I had to tell the author that no, they weren’t eligible for compensation for their pirated books. In the United States, there’s no equivalent or substitute for the US Copyright Office’s official registration process. The author couldn’t even use the materials they’d gotten from Coprighted.com as prima facie evidence of copyright ownership. Again, only official registration provides that.

In this article, I’m going to cover the basics of copyright, offer some warnings, and dispel some myths. I know that much of what follows will be familiar to a lot of readers—but as the example above shows, knowledge gaps not only exist, but can be damaging…and as always in the writing biz, knowledge is your greatest ally and your best defense. I hope even the most copyright-savvy readers will find something useful here."

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

U.S. Copyright Office Announces Webinar on Copyright Essentials for Writers; U.S. Copyright Office, Webinar: August 6, 2025 1 PM EDT

 U.S. Copyright Office; U.S. Copyright Office Announces Webinar on Copyright Essentials for Writers

"The U.S. Copyright Office invites you to register to attend the third session in our Copyright Essentials webinar series. The Plot Thickens: Copyright Essentials for Writers will take place on August 6 at 1:00 p.m. eastern time. 

In this session, the Copyright Office will discuss what writers should know about copyright. We will cover information for writers of various literary works—from novels and blogs to poetry, cookbooks, textbooks, and more. The session will also review suitable application options and how our Public Information Office can help you along the way. 

Attendees will also learn copyright basics, answers to commonly asked questions, and where to find Copyright Office educational resources.

Speakers:

  • Jessica Chinnadurai, Attorney-Advisor, Office of Public Information and Education
  • Laura Kaiser, Attorney-Advisor, Office of Public Information and Education

Prior Copyright Essentials webinars can be viewed on our website:

The Copyright Office strategic goal of Copyright for All means making the copyright system as understandable and accessible to as many members of the public as possible, through initiatives including education and outreach. Sign up to stay updated about future webinars in this series."

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Katy attorneys to focus on copyright basics; Houston Chronicle, 1/10/17

Houston Chronicle; 

Katy attorneys to focus on copyright basics:


"Area attorneys are invited to the Tuesday, Jan. 24, luncheon of the Katy Bar Association at 11:30 a.m. at Hasta la Pasta, 1450 W. Grand Parkway S.


Teresa Lechner-Fish, IP associate with Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP, will present "Copyright Basics: What Are Copyrights? How Are Copyrights Created? Who Owns the Copyrights? And How Can They Be Protected."
She will identify examples of copyrights, provide guidance on how copyrights are created and who owns those copyrights, and offer suggestions on how copyrights can be protected in the marketplace.
Her law practice includes assisting growing companies as intellectual property counsel, handling copyright, due diligence, trademark, trade secret, licensing and patent matters. She has prepared and prosecuted hundreds of copyright, patent and trademark applications, and assisted patent litigation teams, involving complex technologies and litigation strategies."

Thursday, November 19, 2009

[Podcast] Copyright Basics - The Video; Copyright Clearance Center

[Podcast] Copyright Clearance Center; Copyright Basics - The Video:

"This Program is made available for your use by the rights licensing experts at Copyright Clearance Center. We welcome you to view the video here and/or download it for non-commercial use in your organization (terms and conditions apply)."

http://216.183.190.29/