COPYRIGHTING software in-development

I'm programming an online application. I'd like to have an online site
with a Developer's Diary, screenshots, news, etc.. My question: how do
I copyright something that doesn't exist? I mean, it's a work in
progress. I want to know exactly what I must do to obtain the LEGAL
copyright, and I'm not talking about sending it registered-mail to
myself... ;-) I want to ensure my work doesn't get ripped off.

Thanks

"Werner Schultz" <none@none.none> wrote in message
news:oe72mv40pqccmtn94bc6sq6nacf3kjasm3@4ax.com...
> I'm programming an online application. I'd like to have an online site
> with a Developer's Diary, screenshots, news, etc.. My question: how do
> I copyright something that doesn't exist? I mean, it's a work in
> progress. I want to know exactly what I must do to obtain the LEGAL
> copyright, and I'm not talking about sending it registered-mail to
> myself... ;-) I want to ensure my work doesn't get ripped off.

Consult a copyright attorney.

The basic rules are simple.

The catch is that you must catch the infringer, and you must sue him, and
that takes DEEP pockets.

If you want to ensure nobody will copy what you're doing, don't keep an
online diary of your work.


Werner Schultz <none@none.none> wrote in message
news:oe72mv40pqccmtn94bc6sq6nacf3kjasm3@4ax.com...
> I'm programming an online application. I'd like to have an online site
> with a Developer's Diary, screenshots, news, etc.. My question: how do
> I copyright something that doesn't exist? I mean, it's a work in
> progress. I want to know exactly what I must do to obtain the LEGAL
> copyright, and I'm not talking about sending it registered-mail to
> myself... ;-) I want to ensure my work doesn't get ripped off.
>
> Thanks
>

John R. Strohm wrote:

> "Werner Schultz" <none@none.none> wrote in message
> news:oe72mv40pqccmtn94bc6sq6nacf3kjasm3@4ax.com...
>
>>I'm programming an online application. I'd like to have an online site
>>with a Developer's Diary, screenshots, news, etc.. My question: how do
>>I copyright something that doesn't exist? I mean, it's a work in
>>progress. I want to know exactly what I must do to obtain the LEGAL
>>copyright, and I'm not talking about sending it registered-mail to
>>myself... ;-) I want to ensure my work doesn't get ripped off.
>
> Consult a copyright attorney.

Good, if expensive, advice

> The basic rules are simple.
>
> The catch is that you must catch the infringer, and you must sue him, and
> that takes DEEP pockets.

IANL, but:

If you are unaware of the infringement, your copyright is still valid.
If you're aware and do nothing, you lose your rights to the copyrighted
work, and from memory it goes into the public domain.

Still, if you /do/ find out that someone with mighty deep pockets is
infringing on your copyright, there's not a lot you can do about it.
Unless your pockets are just as deep :>

--
Corey Murtagh
The Electric Monk
"Quidquid latine dictum sit, altum viditur!"

John R. Strohm wrote:
> "Werner Schultz" <none@none.none> wrote in message
> news:oe72mv40pqccmtn94bc6sq6nacf3kjasm3@4ax.com...
>
>>I'm programming an online application. I'd like to have an online site
>>with a Developer's Diary, screenshots, news, etc.. My question: how do
>>I copyright something that doesn't exist? I mean, it's a work in
>>progress. I want to know exactly what I must do to obtain the LEGAL
>>copyright, and I'm not talking about sending it registered-mail to
>>myself... ;-) I want to ensure my work doesn't get ripped off.
>
>
> Consult a copyright attorney.
>
> The basic rules are simple.
>
> The catch is that you must catch the infringer, and you must sue him, and
> that takes DEEP pockets.
>
>
But the "Poor Man's Copyright" is perfectly legal... and chances are,
more reliable than a legal copyright, since legal copyrights are
susceptible to wicked actions (ie - someone can buy an 'older' copyright
than yours)


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Corey Murtagh <emonk@slingshot.co.nz.no.uce> wrote in message news:<1063343342.660822@radsrv1.tranzpeer.net>...
> IANL, but:
>
> If you are unaware of the infringement, your copyright is still valid.
> If you're aware and do nothing, you lose your rights to the copyrighted
> work, and from memory it goes into the public domain.
>
> Still, if you /do/ find out that someone with mighty deep pockets is
> infringing on your copyright, there's not a lot you can do about it.
> Unless your pockets are just as deep :>

IANAL either, but I think you are confusing copyright with trademarks.
For example, if Johnson & Johnson saw someone else using the name
"Band-Aid" for it's product and did nothing about it, they would lose
their trademark and anyone could use the name "Band-Aid" for their
product. One example of this happening is with "Aspirin"--it used to
be a trademarked name, but the TM holders didn't enforce it by suing
infringers.

I don't know how you exactly enforce copyrights, but I do know you
have to have a lot of evidence that you actually hold the copyrights
for works you create. Again, IANAL, but in the US, you automatically
own the copyright to works you create unless you submit them to the
public domain under some sort of license (for example, if you submit
an article to Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org), you have no
copyright to the text since it's submitted under the GDL (or
GPL--something like that)). If you want extra protection, formally
copyright and register your works, but for simplicity, you have an
implicit copyright to anything you create (as long as it isn't
plagerized or copied from someone else).

IANAL, so nothing I said comes with any sort of guarentee! :-S But it
is accurate AFAIK...

Good luck! :-)

To answer your question pedantically, you can't copyright something that
doesn't exist. However, I think you mean "Can I copyright something
that isn't complete yet?" You may also mean "Is there anything I can do
to make my life easier if I find someone in violation of my copyright
(such as: proof that I actually created it and they copied it, rather
than the other way round)," but I don't know the answer to that one.

You don't need to do anything to copyright anything you create - the
copyright is yours by default. Copyright applies regardless of the
state of development; Tolkien had the copyright on The Hobbit even when
he'd only written "In a hole". However at that stage he would have had
a difficult job suing anyone else for the use of those three words.

Not sure what you mean by "legal copyright", as opposed to...what?
"Normal copyright?" As far as I know there is only one type of
copyright, and that is yours by default. You don't need to post stuff
to yourself, you don't need to give someone else vast quantities of
cash, you don't need to do *anything* (except create it, of course). If
it'll make you feel better, you can send me some cash and I'll tell you
you have the copyright.

Copyright applies to code, not to concepts. (Patents apply to concepts,
and trade names apply to fancy names for things). Your code can only be
copied if someone has access to it. If someone sees your website and
thinks "what a neat app" and writes their own, there's nothing you can
do about that, as that is not copyright violation. However, see
"patents", if you're in a country that allows a patent holder to sue
other people for writing certain types of applications.

Dave.


Werner Schultz wrote:
> I'm programming an online application. I'd like to have an online site
> with a Developer's Diary, screenshots, news, etc.. My question: how do
> I copyright something that doesn't exist? I mean, it's a work in
> progress. I want to know exactly what I must do to obtain the LEGAL
> copyright, and I'm not talking about sending it registered-mail to
> myself... ;-) I want to ensure my work doesn't get ripped off.
>
> Thanks

"Werner Schultz" <none@none.none> wrote in message
news:oe72mv40pqccmtn94bc6sq6nacf3kjasm3@4ax.com...
> I'm programming an online application. I'd like to have an online site
> with a Developer's Diary, screenshots, news, etc.. My question: how do
> I copyright something that doesn't exist? I mean, it's a work in
> progress. I want to know exactly what I must do to obtain the LEGAL
> copyright, and I'm not talking about sending it registered-mail to
> myself... ;-) I want to ensure my work doesn't get ripped off.

Nothing legal you do will prevent your work from being ripped
off. If you want to make sure it doesn't get ripped off, don't
expose it to the world. (Why do you think the recipe for Coca-Cola
was never patented and is kept as a trade secret?)

That said, in the U.S., you get plenty of legal rights by virtue of
just being the creator of something. Slap a copyright notice on
everything you write. Once it's ready for publication, you can
register it. For the details, there are plenty of helpful web sites,
starting, oddly enough, with the copyright office. (In the U.S., you
can certainly find U.S. Code, Title 17 (copyright) on line - though
you might not find the annotations and case law which also apply to
it; check your library for the USC Annotated collection.)

Best bet, though, is not to leave things lying about if you don't want
them taken. -Wm

Werner Schultz wrote:

> I want to ensure my work doesn't get ripped off.

Then don't put it on the web!

--
|_ CJSonnack <Chris@Sonnack.com> _____________| How's my programming? |
|_ http://www.Sonnack.com/ ___________________| Call: 1-800-DEV-NULL |
|_____________________________________________|___ ____________________|

On Thu, 11 Sep 2003 21:17:09 -0400, Werner Schultz <none@none.none>
wrote:


> I want to ensure my work doesn't get ripped off.


The only way to be sure your work doesn't get "ripped off" is to NOT
post it on the web.

As soon as you post a public web site with open access, anything on
the site is "open season" to anyone with a browser.



Yes, it's copyrighted- Version 0.00001 of whatever you're writing
is copyrighted as soon as you write it.

BUT- anyone can "steal" it, if they can see it.



The only way to keep it from being "stolen" is to NOT put it where it
CAN be stolen.

If you're that worried about it, don't post it.



BobR