The Top 8 Questions About Copyright Answered

By Sarah Jacobs

Why register a photo if it’s not yet published? Should I wait until just prior to publishing?

Under US Copyright Law, copyright exists the moment you take a picture. But registering your images with the US Copyright Office confers two major benefits:

• The court can award statutory damages of up to $150,000 per infringement.
• The court can award reasonable attorney fees

If you register and unpublished work, and then subsequently publish it, it is covered by the copyright registration.

What is considered “published”?

The US Copyright office doesn’t offer specific guidance on this issue, nor is there any case law. But for purposes of the Internet, …read more

Via: Photoshelter