Hello I am new to copyrighting stuff and I have very little knowledge about how to copyright ongoing content on my content site. I usually create a few new unique articles every day to put up on my websites. Now according to copyright.gov, they say the following: When is my work protected? Your work is under copyright protection the moment it is created and fixed in a tangible form that it is perceptible either directly or with the aid of a machine or device. Do I have to register with your office to be protected? No. In general, registration is voluntary. Copyright exists from the moment the work is created. You will have to register, however, if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section “Copyright Registration.†This is taken from: http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html#what So how does this work exactly? Are they saying as soon as I upload the new article to my website it is instantly copyrighted? I do not have to pay anything for a copyright? How is any machine going to know I am the original creator? Also according to this, does this mean all my past work is all copyrighted automatically? Thanks for any help to make any sense out of this! Jason
You got it correctly. As soon you type it up somewhere and get it out of your head and into a computer file, even before you upload it, it is copyrighted. Being the first to post the content is usually a good way to prove you wrote it, along with having the original document, drafts and notes would also help support your case.