Copyrighting Your Works

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors of “original works of authorship,” including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. This protection is available to both published and unpublished works. Copyrights are procured through the Library of Congress at:

Library of Congress
Copyright Office
Publications Section
101 Independence Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20559-6000

You can also call them at (202) 707-3000. Copyrights can be secured for both published and unpublished works. A work that was created (fixed in tangible form for the first time) on or after January 1, 1978, is automatically protected from the moment of its creation and is ordinarily given a term enduring for the author’s life plus an additional 70 years after the author’s death. Even though the work is "protected" from the time of its creation, registering with the Library of Congress will create a credible date for legal purposed.

As a musician and songwriter, I have utilized the "poor man's copyright" in the past. With the poor man's copyright, the creator of a work simply mails himself/herself a copy of the work. When it is received, it is not opened and the postmark on the mail can be used to prove an approximate time of creation and will hold up in most courts of law. Many people do this because they think an "official" copyright is too costly or hard to get, but that is not the case.

Call or right the Library of Congress to get a packet sent out to with all the forms needed to have your work, or works, copyrighted. The cost of having a piece copyrighted is $45.00. If you have a lot of songs, you can do them all together under a collective name and pay just the one fee of $45.00.

Whatever work you do may seem insignificant, but you never know when lightening will strike. It is always better to be protected.