Preditors and Editors ™

A guide to publishers and publishing services for serious writers since 1997.

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Copyrights

First off, by law everything you write is copyrighted the instant you put it into written words. However, that may not be enough protection though publishers are certainly not going to steal your works. Doing so would jeopardize their reputations and ability to do business. Besides which, the amount of money they could possibly get for your work is a drop in the bucket compared to what they can earn honestly. The only real reason you might need protection is to protect your work against some other individual. The following information will help you protect your work.

You can, of course, obtain a form from the government and then pay a fee (currently $45.00, but confirm that with the U.S. Copyright Office) for having your copyright registered. This is the strongest protection you can have short of never showing your work to a living soul. Because it would be prohibitive to copyright individually everything you write, be sure to check into registering more than one work at a time as a collection.
Another method is the "poor man's copyright." So called because it's cheaper than official registration as it only costs whatever it takes for postage. Essentially, it consists of bundling a copy of your manuscript in a box or envelope, sealing it, and then taking it to the post office where you mail it to yourself. Once your package is delivered, you put the unopened package aside. Do not open it! Should someone attempt to steal any work you have protected in this manner, you can use the sealed manuscript as evidence in court. After all, it has a date on the postage indicating when it was mailed which will prove that you wrote it at least just before that date. Be sure that you indicate what's inside on the outside of the sealed container if you use this method. It would be embarrassing to take the wrong package to court should you ever have to defend your authorship.
It should be of interest to writers that the "poor man's copyright" is not really acceptable in court and has not been since the 1960s when evidence rules were changed. By the 1970s, it had been completely chewed apart, so P&E offers this method only as an emotional salve for writers who need some form of protection and for its historical value. A better method would be to save a submission log and any rejection letters as those are admissible in court should one have to protect one's writing from those rare individuals unscrupulous enough to steal.
Still another method consists of having every page of a manuscript notarized by a notary public. Should you go this route, be certain that you know a friendly notary public who won't mind dating and signing hundreds of pages and won't charge you an arm and a leg to do so. Of course, you would keep this copy at home and never submit it to a publisher.
This method also ignores the simpler and cheaper expedient of keeping a journal of submissions and rejection responses. As well, all of these tend to ignore the fact that the vast majority of publishers and agents are honest and will not steal your written work. This is because no one knows in advance which books will become best sellers. Also, if a publisher did steal a writer's manuscript and publish it, that writer would be sure to sound the alarm to other writers who would then avoid that publisher. Consequently, it makes better sense from their viewpoint to retain one's integrity and settle for an honest profit rather than only the profit from one book that might not sell well at all.

However, be aware that most publishers don't want to accept already registered manuscripts. The reason for this is that your manuscript might not be accepted for months, even years. Many publishers are of the opinion that readers, upon seeing your copyright date, might feel short changed. For this reason, many publishers, upon accepting your work, will obtain the registered copyright in your name for you. Then, no matter how long it takes to gain publication, your work appears to be fresh to their readers and everyone is happy.

Copyright Protection Letters

Letter templates for use when your work is used without permission. Templates created by Charles E. Petit, Esq. and published by Inklings. Used with permission.

Other Copyright Sites

Ask The Writer: of importance here is the writer's overview of the Tasini case involving electronic rights. There are other resources and info on copyrights here as well.
CANCOPY: is a non-profit organization, established in 1988 by Canadian creators and publishers to collectively administer their reproduction rights.
Copyright Clearance Center Online: In April 1995, CCC launched CCC Online, an automated rights clearance system for registered users of CCC's transactional licensing programs (TRS and APS). CCC Online enables registered users to search for titles and royalty fees, then automates reporting activities. (contributed by Dave Davis)
It's also been noted by others that this service is best suited for large libraries and corporations and that payments usually go to the publishers. P&E has heard that little of such money goes to the authors. This is not verified as yet and is offered only as a caution to watch for.
Copyright Website
Imprimatur - Esprit Project 20676: features copyright info from the UK.
lawgirl's copyright basics: "Basic copyright information and links to registration help and resource pages." Editor's note: one of the best I've seen.
Web Guard: an online organization very much concerned with and active in the protection of copyrights.

Patents and Trademarks

Arvic Search Services Inc.: "We help individuals protect their rights to use unregistered, as well as registered, trademarks without incurring the cost of registration. Since 1982 we have grown to become one of the most dominant advocates of small business rights both on and off the Internet. We even teach you how to conduct your own trademark searches." Victor G. Arcuri, President.
Free Patents Online Database: This looks useful. It features over 100 gigabytes of data which includes the full text of US patents from number 4000000 to 6857132.
Guild of Blades: features short stories and poetry on site. Also offers to represent writers as an agent as well as publish. Heavy into gaming. Site has info on Trademarks.
Irish Patents Office: as the name states. This could be useful to some writers.
US Patent and Trademark Office: kind of obvious.