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frazzled

(18,402 posts)

14. Sure you can, but then you can't sue for statutory damages

Reply to hunter (Reply #10)

Mon Apr 10, 2017, 02:07 PM

Apr 2017

And fighting an infringement case in court without the ability to collect statutory damages is expensive ... and you won't get much out of it.

The main problem you will confront if you register after infringement is that you won't be able to get statutory damages (the high-level damages that make difficult-to-prove copyright cases worth fighting in court).

http://www.newmediarights.org/business_models/artist/can_you_sue_someone_copyright_infringement_if_your_work_not_federally_registe

Really, just register the copyright from the beginning if you're so worried about theft.
But I wouldn't worry too much about anyone wanting to steal this idea, or if they did, making enough money off of it to go to the trouble for suing for damages

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Question about public domain [View all] Orrex Apr 2017 OP

If you've copyrighted it frazzled Apr 2017 #1

You don't need to do anything to copyright a work. You can if you want. But you don't have to 50 Shades Of Blue Apr 2017 #3

You know, I thought about that, but... Orrex Apr 2017 #5

Any work you create is protected by copyright. Automatically. It won't become public domain 50 Shades Of Blue Apr 2017 #2

But you can't sue for claims unless you register the copyright frazzled Apr 2017 #7

Not true. If you own it, you own it. 50 Shades Of Blue Apr 2017 #8

But you can register at any time. hunter Apr 2017 #10

Sure you can, but then you can't sue for statutory damages frazzled Apr 2017 #14

If family and friends had bought a few books-on-demand from Amazon... hunter Apr 2017 #15

"if, through some gross negligence on my part, I allow the first book to lapse into public domain" jberryhill Apr 2017 #4

Clearly you underestimate my ability to be grossly negligent Orrex Apr 2017 #6

Those circumstances cannot be repeated jberryhill Apr 2017 #9

Ah, thank you. Orrex Apr 2017 #11

Forget the legal nuances, think of it as a marketing opportunity. hunter Apr 2017 #12

I misspelled it. It's actually Dirk Zaxxxon. Totally different. Orrex Apr 2017 #13