Is there a pen that will last forever?

What are the legal issues with having a pen name?

• This may sound a bit silly but I want to put a few pictures and stories on my website. Only one problem my name sucks, more my last then my first so I cannot simply go out and change it. I know in the past having a “Pen name” has been a popular choice for authors, but for my own legal safty, is there anything I should know about having a pen name? Obviously when you copyright or trademark something you use your real name to do it. So how do you prove that the work you publish under your pen name is still yours so to speak, is there a special form you can fill out with the copyright department that will link your pen name to your real one. A example of the situation I talk of is I publish a picture on the web, I sign the picture with my pen name. A few weeks later I see another website with it, I send over a request for them to stop. Would they be able to refuse the order because I couldn’t prove that I (my real name) created the piece that is signed by me (my pen name)

• Answer:

  This is how it works with traditional printed works: When you fill out the form for copyright registration, you will be able to give them both your real name and your pen name if you have one. That way, it is a matter of official record that this is your pen name, and the work legally belongs to you. Copyright may be a little different when it comes to web-only publication. I'd suggest putting a small-print notice someplace unobtrusive on your web site with your real name and a copyright statement. (I've done this myself a time or two.) There are copyright forms that cover electronic works (including things on the internet), but I'm not as familiar with that as with how books and such are handled.