Okay, this has probably been covered before but what percentage of sites out their have actually paid for copywriiting? Most sites have a little copyright tag or text at the bottom of it with the date but really, which ones are actually copyrighted and how can you tell??
Okay, now how in the hell are we supposed to know that? There is no way to know this. And it sounds like you are also talking about two different things. Look up the definition of copywriting and copyright.
As Perry Rose says, there's a difference between copywriting (the service where someone writes copy for a site), and copyright - which protects design and content. It doesn't matter whether someone bought content, or made it themselves - it's still copyright. To be safe - I'd treat every single site as copyright - don't be tempted to take content from any of them, unless they offer explicit permission for you to do so. Even then, why take content when you can make your own unique content instead?
Here's some info from copyright.gov... 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.†If made before or within five years of publication, registration will establish prima facie evidence in court of the validity of the copyright and of the facts stated in the certificate. If registration is made within three months after publication of the work or prior to an infringement of the work, statutory damages and attorney’s fees will be available to the copyright owner in court actions. Otherwise, only an award of actual damages and profits is available to the copyright owner. So basically, any content authored by the site owner is protected. However there are stipulations when it comes time to filing a lawsuit for infringement. The cost for basic official copyright registration is $35. Based on this, I doubt that many site owners have actually registered. Hope this helps.
Great info trafficweb and you are entirely correct with everything you said. Glad to see someone's paying attention. As the others said there is a huge difference between copywrite and copyright. The two are definitely not interchangeable. Copywrite comes from the term writing sales copy or writing something to convince, compel or cajole someone into buying something and as trafficweb said copyright is merely a way of protecting your written work.
Although there are not many sites that would cpay you for copy writing, you can on a decent enough profit from a few.
Rookie mistake i guess. I understand the difference now. I guess that is something I totally missed in college. Thanks guys!
Remember that this only the case in the USA. The law on copyright and what you need to do to ensure/protect your own copyright differs between nations. In the UK, for example, there is no national or legally recognised central copyright registration scheme outside of the patent system, which is unsuitable for written content. There are a few commercial organisations that will 'register' your copyright claim on their own database but it's unclear what legal status, if any, such a registration would have in a court of law.
Don't worry about it, Spawned. If you haven't already, check out the big sites out there to see if any of them have done it.