Copyright 101: What

is a Copyright?
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R E G I S T E R C O P Y R I G H T S ; C R E A T E L E G A L A G R E E M E N T S

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 What is a copyright?
Copyright is a form of protection provided to the authors of published and
unpublished “original works of authorship” such as literary, dramatic,
musical, visual, artistic, and certain other intellectual works. Examples
include films, sound recordings, lyrics, choreography, photographs,
illustrations, designs, and more. 
 What Does Copyright Protect?
Copyright protects original works that are fixed in a tangible form of expression (a
record, a video, a document etc.) or in a manner that can be expressed with a
device such as with a computer, television, or tablet. Protected works can include:

- Literary works (e.g. articles, poetry, novels).

- Visual works (e.g. graphics, photographs, maps, technical drawings).
- Audiovisual works (e.g. films, video games, television shows). 
- Works of the performing arts (e.g. scripts, choreography, lyrics).
- Sound recordings.

Copyright Does Not Protect:

- Ideas.
- Facts.
- Names.
- Methods and systems. 
Rights of a
Copyright Owner:
Copyright owners have the exclusive right to
perform the actions below and to authorize others
to act on their behalf to: 

Reproduce a work.

Create derivative works (e.g. a film

adaptation of a book). 

Distribute the work for sale, rental,

lease or lending.

Perform/display the work publicly.

Protecting Your
Works:
Here are a few steps you can take to protect your
works:

Have legal agreements in place with

anyone that will contribute to, use,

license, buy, or represent your works.

Provide a notice of copyright on your

content (e.g. "Copyright 2017 © You, Inc.")

Register your works with the U.S.

Copyright Office.
 Copyright + Collaboration:
When you are collaborating with others, remember these tips:

Document ownership of your works - If you are creating a "joint work"

(a work created by multiple authors with the intention that their
contributions will be merged into a single work), be sure to document
each collaborator's role and ownership stake. At the very least,
consider having a simple split sheet agreement. Unless there is an
agreement stating otherwise, the authors of a joint work could be
considered as equal co-owners of the copyright. 

Consider Work for Hire Agreements - If you are hiring someone to
help with the creation of your content, you may want to consider
having a work for hire agreement in place. It clearly establishes your
ownership of the content created and the details of the work/services
to be done, including responsibilities, payment terms, credit, dispute
resolution and more.  
 ...but, what about "poor
man's copyright?"
Copyright exists the moment a work is created.  "Poor man's copyright"
is the act of mailing yourself a copy of your work to document when it
was created.

There is no provision in copyright law regarding "poor man's copyright"

and it is not a substitute for documenting ownership of your works with
an agreement or registering your works with the U.S. Copyright Office.
You will not be granted the same protections and rights if you only
rely on "poor man's copyright."
 !
When in doubt:

- Talk through various ownership and

usage scenarios with your
collaborators for transparency.

- Review the U.S. Copyright Office site

guidelines (copyright.gov) when
registering.

- Ask an attorney for help.

 Using Cosynd
to Protect Your
Works
You can use Cosynd to create ownership agreements and to register your works with
the U.S. Copyright Office. 

Create unlimited split sheets for free.

Quickly Propose the addition of new works to your existing

agreements in minutes,

Easily propose terms, keep track of changes, chat online, and archive

your discussions for future reference.

Invite your attorneys to review your agreement and edit it directly

within Cosynd if you wish to.

Digitally sign your agreements and store them on Cosynd.

 Learn More:
www.cosynd.com

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R E G I S T E R C O P Y R I G H T S ; C R E A T E L E G A L A G R E E M E N T S

W W W . C O S Y N D . C O M

Copyright 2017 Cosynd Incorporated. Cosynd provides information and self-help software at your direction only. Cosynd is not a "lawyer referral service," a law firm, or a
substitute for an attorney. Cosynd does not provide legal advice, opinions, or recommendations about possible legal rights or participate in any legal representation.