Copyright and Trademark Standards - The Graphic Design: Reference and Specification - page 3

Chapter 2: Copyright and Trademark Standards
c o p y r i g h t
Copyright is defined as the exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, and sell a literary,
musical, or artistic work. Anything that is produced is a copyrighted piece of work as soon
as it is produced if it falls under one of the above categories. In the United States, a work
is under the protection of copyright from the moment it is created until seventy years after
its author's death. During that period, the owner of a copyrighted work owns the rights
to its reproduction, display, distribution, and adaptation to derivative works. (Note that a
“work” can be copyrighted, but not an idea. Ideas must be patented.) A copyright infringe-
ment occurs when somebody copies a copyright protected work owned by someone else
or exercises an exclusive right without authorization.
A copyright notice , strategically placed on literary, musical, or artistic work, serves as a
warning to potential plagiarizers. A copyright notice consists of the word “Copyright” or
its symbol, ©, the year the work was created or first published, and the full name of the
copyright owner. Example: © 2013 John Doe. For HTML pages, use the HTML number
code &#169 ; to insert a copyright notice. Example: <p>&#169; 2013 John Doe</p>.
The copyright notice should be placed where it can be easily seen. Placing a copyright
notice on a piece of work isn't absolutely necessary to claim copyright infringement, but it
is in the owner's best interest to use this symbol as a warning. Original work can be fur-
ther protected by registering it with the U.S. Copyright Office:
U.S. Copyright Office
101 Independence Ave. S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20559-6000
[phone] or 1-877-476-0778 (toll free)
www.copyright.gov
Registering an artistic work requires filing an application with the Copyright Office and
accompanying it with two visual representations, in printed for digital form, of the work
being registered. There is a $65 (£40) nonrefundable fee for paper registration and a $35
(£21) non-refundable fee for electronic filing. Application forms can be found online at
www.copyright.gov/forms . The work becomes registered on the date that all the required
elements for registration are received by the U.S. Copyright Office.
p u b l i c d o m a i n
Older artistic creations, which are no longer protected by copyright, fall into a category
called “public domain,” and can be used by anyone without obtaining permission or pay-
ing a fee. Uncredited or anonymous works are no longer protected by copyright beyond 95
years after the date of their publication or 120 years after their creation. Works credited
to an artist or author are no longer protected beyond 70 years after the creator's death.