Perhaps some old timers could link me to threads if the stampede has already trampled through.
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I would like to understand my rights as the creator of a written work. I want to begin displaying written works (poetry, stories) on art communities around the net and also read them at open mics, etc- to get some feedback.
I’m not really paranoid about people stealing the work, but I would like to be able to sleep well at night by understanding the basics of what I should be doing before I start throwing this stuff around.
Does a person need to obtain a copyright once a poem/story is written?
If so, how do I obtain one?
Is this all the protection one needs for written works?
Copyright obtains at the moment you create a work. There is no need for you to take any further action to protect it, but going through the copyright registration process would make it much easier for you to fight infringements. You would register your copyright (if you’re in the United States) through the Copyright Office.
The FAQ page at that site is particularly useful for you to read if you’re interested in learning more about copyright.
From the FAQ:
Registration costs $30 per item. For all practical purposes, it buys you nothing more than the right to spend thousands of more dollars on a lawsuit for statutory damages. Essentially, that’s an extra award beyond any actual money lost that serves as a disincentive to violators, somewhat similar to punitive damages.
There are some reasons to register copyrights, but virtually none of them have anything to do with amateur non-commercial stories and poems.
In short, don’t worry about it. You are as fully covered by doing nothing as you would be by registration.
That’s a big question. There are sites for every kind of fiction imaginable: science fiction, romance, media character-based, poetry, short fiction, short short fiction, experimental, historic, etc. and etc. and et al.
It would help if you gave an exact description of what you write. Even so, you would have to hope that lots of others beside me read the thread.
it is kind of you to always be open. i see what you are telling me and i’m going to go and take the time to begin working through all of this. I would like being introduced more.