Copyright for the work only you could make
Your work is protected the moment you make it. Registering it is what lets you enforce it in federal court and puts your ownership on the record.
Copyright covers what you create: a manuscript, a song, a photo, a pattern, a course, a block of code. It doesn’t cover a name or an idea. I register finished work with the Copyright Office, and I register sets of related work together where the rules allow, which keeps your costs down.
What I take on
- Registration of books, music, photos, art, video and software
- Registrations for a group of photos or songs, where eligible
- Takedown notices and replies to takedown claims
- Work-for-hire and assignment papers for contractors
- Notices and permissions for work that uses someone else’s
Most of my copyright calls begin with a different question: who owns this? A designer, a ghostwriter or a freelance editor may hold rights you assumed were yours. I check, and I put it right in writing before it matters.
From finished work to registered work
- 01
Step 1: Ownership check
I confirm who made it, who paid for it and whether anyone else has a claim.
- 02
Step 2: Application
I prepare it, with the deposit copy, for your approval.
- 03
Step 3: Filing
I file with the Copyright Office and send you the receipt the same day.
- 04
Step 4: Certificate
When it issues, you get the registration and a plain note on what to do with it.
Copyright questions I hear most
Am I already protected without registering?
Yes, for what you create. But for a U.S. work you generally need a registration before you can sue, and timing affects what you can recover.
Can I register an idea or a title?
No. Copyright covers the expression, like the words, the image or the code. A title or a name is a trademark question.
What if someone copied my work?
Send me what you have. A takedown notice is often the quickest step, and I’ll tell you plainly when a lawsuit wouldn’t be worth what it costs.
Who owns work a freelancer made for me?
Often the freelancer, unless there’s a signed paper that says otherwise. I draft that paper and can fix an old project after the fact.
Send me the work
Tell me what it is and who helped make it. I’ll say what I’d register, what it costs and what to fix first.