Work Copyright Assignment

A website graphics, content, visual elements is copyrighted at the time of development. So putting the copyright notice on the bottom of a site states that the material displayed is not to be used without permission of the owner.

To register your copyright, you need to go to the eCO Online System, create an account, and then fill out the online form. There's a basic fee of $35 if you file online. The processing times are generally faster if you apply online, but eFiling still takes between three and four months, according to Copyright.gov.

You can search through copyright files by visiting the Copyright Office at www.copyright.gov/records (see Figure 2, below). All copyright information is located in the Public Catalog (click Search Public Catalog) which contains information about works registered since January 1978.

The copyright symbol ©, or the words "Copyright" or "Copr." if website is published, the year of publication, and. the name of the copyright owner.

Under United States copyright law, creators are presumed to own the copyright in the works they create. This means that whoever creates the various aspects of your website will be presumed to have ownership of the copyright in those specific elements (the concept of separate website elements is discussed more below).

A copyright owner's exclusive rights (either in whole or in part) can be transferred to another party, but it must be in writing and signed by the copyright owner to be considered valid. An authorized agent of the copyright owner (such as an attorney or business associate) can also sign the writing.

Use the Copyright or ©, but you needn't use both. There is no period between the date and the organization/person who claims the copyright. If your website contains material that was created in previous years, you may want to opt to use a date range in the copyright notice.

Registering a copyright with the U.S. Copyright Office involves three basic steps: (1) complete an application either on paper or using the U.S. Copyright Office's eCO registration system; (2) paying a fee; and (3) depositing a copy of the work being registered with the U.S. Copyright Office.