How do you get something copyrighted?

How do you get something copyrighted?

• Answer:

  A copyright is a legal claim to the right to copy (reproduce and publish) a work. A statement of copyright is a statement of the author's or creator's intent to be protected under international copyright law. To qualify for copyright protection, a work must be original, and the copyright is for a set period of time, the lifetime of the author plus 70 years. If the author used another name on the work (pen name, stage name ect.) then the work is protected for 95 years from the date it was published or 120 years from the date it was created. Under the Berne Convention, to which the U.S. subscribes, copyright of a work is automatic and does not require a special formal statement. However, the copyright notice can be useful in a legal action. See Related Link for some more information about copyright.