How to Register a Copyright for Hospitality and Leisure Business

Introduction

Copyright law is a legal mechanism that gives you the exclusive right to use and distribute your artistic or creative work. Copyright protection begins when you create a tangible expression of original works, such as writing, music, art or photos. It can also apply to the software code of an app if it is original enough. Registering for copyright ensures that your work is protected in case someone tries to copy it without your permission.

Make Sure your work is Original and Tangible

The works must be original and tangible. You can’t copyright things like ideas or titles, but you can copyright the work itself. This means that anything you write down or draw out is considered a tangible medium of expression, and therefore it’s eligible for copyrighting. You can even copyright those one-of-a-kind sketches on your napkin at dinner last night.

The work must also be fixed in a tangible medium of expression. If you’re going to register your work with the Office of Copyright so that no one else can take credit for it, then make sure that it’s recorded in some way so there’s proof that yours is unique. Even if someone else claims that their idea was first, having concrete evidence will help protect yourself from accusations later on down the line.

Provide a Copy of the Work

Next, you must provide a copy of the work or, if it’s a book, a description of it. If you don’t have a copy available, you can send a description of the work instead.

For example:

Title: My Story Title

Author Name: Author Name

Publisher Name: Publisher Name

Pay the Filing Fee

The filing fee for a copyright is $35. You can pay by check, credit card or money order. If you are paying by check, the name on your bank account must match the name associated with your registration application. If you choose to send payments via mail, enclose your check with a copy of this form and mail it to:

Register of Copyrights

Copyright Office

Library of Congress

101 Independence Ave SE – LM-403 Washington DC 20559-6000.

In addition to paying by mail or in person you can also pay online using any major credit card (Visa/MasterCard/American Express). Your payment information will be stored as a transaction reference number (TRN). If you have not already provided us with an email address for us to contact you about renewing your registration we will use this TRN as our method of contacting you when it comes time for renewal.

Fill Out the Application Form

Fill out the application form for copyright registration and send it to the United States Copyright Office. The application form is the same for all works, regardless of their type or length. It includes:

• A description of your work, which should include its title, date of creation and any other relevant information.
• Information about you, such as your name, address and email address.
• Information about the work itself (e.g., its title and date of creation).

Check in After Three Months, Three Weeks and Three Days

After you submit your application, it will be processed for about three months. Then, if everything goes smoothly, you’ll get an official letter from the US Copyright Office confirming that you have been granted ownership of the copyright.

If you don’t hear anything after three months have passed (and this is all on the up and up), then it may be time to call their customer service line at 202-707-3000 and check in on their progress.

If still no word comes back after another three weeks and three days (by this point things are looking pretty dire), then once again give them a call. The worst that can happen here is they’ll tell you they haven’t found any record with your name attached to it yet. There’s nothing more they can do until then except wait patiently while continuing business as usual.

Post Copies of Your Work

Once you receive your certificate, post copies of your work in public places. While posting copies of protected work is not required by law, it’s a good idea to do so anyway. Copies can be posted on a website or social media account, or they can be posted in a private space if the work is not available for sale.

Why is Registering For a Copyright Necessary?

When you register for copyright, it protects your work from being copied or stolen. It also ensures that you are the only person who can use your work and receive royalties for its use.

Conclusion

We hope that this guide has helped you understand what copyright registration is, how to go about it and how it can benefit you as a writer. It’s important to note that if you choose not to register your work, there are still ways for others to protect themselves from infringement by using fair use law or other legal means such as trademark protection. We encourage all writers and artists out there who have created something original and want to make sure their work isn’t copied illegally in any way possible.